The article does not say he was benched. It just says he wasn't putting himself in a position to help the team. "Benched" implies malice (despite the author of the article using that term); pouting, brooding, discontent. What AG said was XW just wasn't the right player at the right time. While it COULD mean the same thing, that's not what he said if you ask me. It simply could have been a matter of rust for XW.
