Seahawks defensive end Michael Bennett is more than one of the NFL's best pass rushers. He's also a smart guy with thoughts on a variety of non-football-related topics that span the gamut, from the premiere of "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" (don't know if you've heard about it) to legalizing marijuana to why he has a beard (oddly, 'because Obi-Wan had one' isn't the answer).

Here's an excerpt of his Q&A with Sports Illlustrated, which will be published in its entirety on Dec. 21.

On "Star Wars": “I’m a 'Star Wars' guy. It’s so funny: This is a make-believe world, but people are upset about the fact that [actor John Boyega, who plays a stormtrooper in the new movie] is black. People are racist, and they don’t even know why they’re racist; they’re racist in a fake world!”

On legalizing marijuana: “If you’re going to legalize cigarettes and liquor, I don’t see why marijuana shouldn’t be legalized. At the end of the day they all do the same thing.”

About that beard: “In the history of time, every wise man had a beard … Jesus had a beard. Moses had a beard. Abraham had a beard. Malcolm X had a beard. It’s a wisdom thing.”

On gun rights: “Getting a gun should be harder than getting a mortgage. When people have guns, they tend to use them."

Bennett even weighed in on a football topc -- the current state of the player's union: "We can’t come to agreement on things. That’s why we’re so weak in bargaining. We’re the weakest group of all the sports … The biggest players, the Peyton Mannings, they do their thing. You don’t see Peyton Manning coming out and saying, This, this, that, that."

Michael Bennett's beard was not, in fact, inspired by Obi-Wan Kenobi. (Twitter)
Michael Bennett's beard was not, in fact, inspired by Obi-Wan Kenobi. (@Seahawks)