Defensive end Michael Bennett has no issue with Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson. In fact, he likes him a lot.

“I like Russell Wilson,” Bennett told reporters Wednesday during his minicamp press conference. “I’ve always liked Russell Wilson. I think Russell is a phenomenal human being, not just as an athlete but a leader in the community, the issues that he’s dealing with, the things that he does, how he carries himself, the professional that he is, how he does everything for the organization, how he’s played through injuries, and just him as a man.

“I think Russell Wilson is the perfect quarterback for our team.”

Rumors of the organization’s alleged favoritism of the star quarterback surfaced in Seth Wickersham’s piece some weeks ago on ESPN.com. Wickersham hinted at a rift in the locker room dividing Wilson from the players based on his perceived preferential treatment.

“He’s a perfect leader,” Bennett explained. “I think everybody on our team sees that. I think the media wants to build a story around why Russell gets more attention. I said this morning, when I was the quarterback in seventh, sixth grade, I used to get more Lunchables than everybody, I got more jelly beans than everybody, because I was the quarterback – that’s just how things go.”

“Quarterbacks are seen and they are the organization,” Bennett continued. “If you look at any team in the NFL, if there’s a defensive player that’s the face of your organization, you’re not winning a Super Bowl. That’s a fact. Any team that has a great quarterback and the quarterback is the face of the organization that is a playoff team. You can’t show me any different.

“I think he gets everything he deserves, and I think I get everything I deserve.”

Bennett broke bread with Wilson recently, tweeting the following shortly after the Wickersham article was published. Bennett called the story “trash” and “gossip.”

“The food was great,” he said Wednesday.

So Bennett understands why a quarterback might get more attention – both positive and negative – simply by virtue of his position as frontman of the team. He also knows there’s a reason these types of stories continue to surface and he intends to make the most of them.

“I think everything’s overblown in sports,” Bennett said. “I think you want to build stories. Stories are needed. This is a drought in the media right now. This is a drought. The NFL does everything for the media when it comes to sports. Every other sport is not really even paid attention to. Nobody knows who even won the NHL championship but when the Super Bowl is on, everybody is paying attention. It’s the biggest event. So people want a story in sports.”

“People want to be a part of a story, build up a controversy and so now we have a story so thank you,” he continued. “We have something to build upon. You already started our narrative. That’s good for us. We already know where our story starts and we have to define the ending of our story.”

So similar to what cornerback Richard Sherman said last week, the Seahawks have their story to tell. And whether they win or lose, it’s a new chapter for Bennett and his teammates to write and they’ll do it together.