'The call that night was a scary one'

Bennett's brother, Green Bay Packers tight end Martellus Bennett, signaled support for his sibling Wednesday in an Instagram post.

"The call that night was a scary one," Martellus Bennett wrote. "The emotion and the thought of almost losing you because of the way you look left me in one of the saddest places ever. I could hear the fear in your voice, the tears in your eyes as well your sprinting heart beat. I can't imagine how the people who lost their loved ones felt when they got the call."

Martellus Bennett added later: "To me, you're much more than a nigger," a direct reference to the line in his brother's open letter.