“I feel like there are not a lot of us, in terms of African American owners or creators. I'm trying to get kids and communities to think not just about playing for the team, but owning the team. You don't always have to be the worker bee.”

American children's author and former NFL tight end

Martellus Bennett is an American former professional football tight end and children’s author. Born in 1987, he played 10 seasons in the National Football League, and later turned to writing for young readers. He played college football for the Texas A&M Aggies and was named second-team All-Big 12 in 2006. The Dallas Cowboys selected him in the second round of the 2008 NFL draft. During his NFL career he played for five teams, most notably the Chicago Bears, where he earned Pro Bowl honors, and the New England Patriots, with whom he won Super Bowl LI. After retiring, he began publishing children’s books through his company, The Imagination Agency.