Seahawks Michael Bennett’s cowboy hat is no joke

Even in the sea of reporters and players at Super Bowl XLIX, the Seahawks Michael Bennett stands out this week, in part because of the white cowboy hat he’s been sporting since last week.

The defensive lineman is known for being one of the team’s pranksters, but it turns out the hat he’s worn at a number of interviews is no joke – it’s in honor of a dear friend who recently died of cancer.

Related: 11 best things we’ve heard Michael Bennett say

Bennett first wore the hat at a media session at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center last week, telling reporters the hat had been his friend’s, and the man’s widow recently gave it to him.

Bennett wore the hat again on the team’s flight to Phoenix Sunday and at a subsequent media gathering, where he provided more details, Seahawks.com first reported.

“He was like a guy who was a mentor to a lot of kinds around my neighborhood,” Bennett said of Mark Alexander, the father of a friend Bennett knew while growing up in the Houston area.

“When he died, he had more than 500 people show up at his house. Even the funeral last week, there were so many kids that had grown up and done so many different things.

“I think the most special thing about his funeral is when his mom talked and she just said, ‘He always said he worked with kids, but I didn’t believe that he really worked with kids like that.’ And to have so many kids come back. Kids were lawyers. Kids were bankers, teachers, coaches. To see all those guys come back and just be happy for him and his family and just to see all the people bring his family up was pretty cool.”

Bennett said the hat was Alexander’s favorite and he’s wearing it all week for good luck. So don’t be surprised to see him standing out among the thousands gathered this week in Phoenix. With his white hat, you can’t miss him.