Seattle Seahawks center Justin Britt, right, stands next to defensive end Michael Bennett as Bennett sits on the bench during the singing of the national anthem before the team's NFL football preseason game against the Minnesota Vikings, Friday, Aug. 18, 2017, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Stephen Brashear)

SEATTLE - Super Bowl champion and Seahawks' defensive end Michael Bennett said he was assaulted and threatened at gunpoint by police during a chaotic incident in Las Vegas last month, and he now is exploring his legal options - including filing a federal civil rights lawsuit against the city of Las Vegas.

Bennett said he was singled out for "for doing nothing more than simply being a black man in the wrong place at the wrong time."

Las Vegas police have opened an internal investigationinto Bennett's allegations, though he has not filed a formal complaint with the department. A top police official denied race played any part in the incident.

In an open letter posted Wednesday on social media, Bennett detailed the incident in which Las Vegas police forced him to the ground, handcuffed him, pointed a gun at his head and threatened to "blow my (expletive) head off."

"This was a traumatic experience for me and my family," he said Wednesday afternoon at a Seahawks-sponsored news conference that ended when he became emotionally overwhelmed and had to leave the room.

In a news conference Wednesday, Las Vegas Undersheriff Kevin McMahill detailed what police know about the incident and showed a five-minute video of events leading up to Bennett being detained.

McMahill said the incident began