Michael Bennett was at Patriots practice on Sunday after returning from an excused absence to deal with personal matters and he said after the session that he was grateful for the way the team handled things.

Bennett said he heard people speculate about his retirement while he was away from the team and that he was “laughing” at such talk. He said “family first” when asked about the reason why he was a late arrival to camp and the defensive lineman said he wants to play harder for head coach Bill Belichick because of the way Belichick reacted to his situation.

“It’s nice to have a coach who sees you as a human being,” Bennett said, via Jeff Howe of TheAthletic.com.

Multiple reports from Patriots practice said that Bennett looked right at home on the field. Assuming that continues, there should be plenty of chances for him to show how hard he’s willing to play for Belichick this season.