Stetson Bennett Breaks Silence After Mysterious NFL Absence

Stetson Bennett has finally addressed being away from the Rams last season.

The 2023 fourth round pick of the Rams was placed on the reserve/non-football illness list shortly before last season started. At the time, the team was very quiet about specific details.

"Out of respect for him and the situation, I'm going to leave all the specifics and particulars in-house. And I want to be able to do that out of respect for that situation, so I'm not going to really have any follow-up information or anything that I'll give in that regard," head coach Sean McVay said last season.

Now, Bennett is finally telling his side of the story, while also not diving too deep.

Stetson Bennett breaks silence on missing last season. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images)

Stetson Bennett addresses absence.

"I was home. As far as what led to that, what transpired and all that, I think we’re going to keep that in-house. But it was good. I went back home, and thank goodness that Les [Snead] and coach [Sean] McVay and everybody involved allowed me to do that," Bennett told the media Tuesday, according to Fox News.

When asked if he had stepped away for mental health reasons, the former Georgia star responded with, "Yeah, I'd say that."

Stetson Bennett is back with the Rams. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images)

Bennett's comments align with remarks recently made by Rams GM Les Snead following his return to the team.

"I know this: Last year was very beneficial for him. I think he took advantage of that year away from the game. You know what, he's an exhausted human being based on everything he had done The responsibility of the QB, and in our sake, we saw what taking a break, giving some guys a break from the game to get refreshed -- I call it, to get bored and fall back in love with the game you grew up playing in the backyard," Snead said during an interview with News 19 WHNT-TV in Alabama last week.

Stetson Bennett missed all of last season, and now says it was for mental health issues. (Photo by Dustin Bradford/Getty Images)

Things haven't been easy for Bennett since leaving Georgia after winning two national titles. He was arrested in 2023 for public intoxication, and the body camera footage was nothing short of depressing.

Then, he didn't play a snap all season after the team removed him from the active roster for then-unknown reasons. That allowed speculation to run rampant.

Now, he's going on the record that it was related to his mental health. Hopefully, he's in a better place ahead of his second year with the team.

He had a hell of a college career in Athens, but things have certainly been rocky since. Time will tell what he can do in the NFL. For now, the fact he's back with the team is an encouraging sign.