Marshall was showing solidarity with San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who chose not to stand during the national anthem before preseason games as a form of protest.
Advertisement
A Denver Broncos player is the latest to join Colin Kaepernick’s protest of the national anthem.
Kaepernick refused to stand for the anthem during San Francisco’s preseason games, explaining it was to protest racial oppression and police brutality in the United States.
“I support our players when they want to see change in society, and we don’t live in a ideal society”, Goodell added.
“We made a decision to play the anthem in our stadium ahead of schedule rather than subject our fans and friends to the disrespect we feel such an act would represent”, the Spirit said in a statement. “I believe in our guys and I believe in them wholeheartedly”.
Be proactive – Use the “Flag as Inappropriate” link at the upper right corner of each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
It is not a rule in the National Football League to require players to stand during the “Star-Spangled Banner”. It’s nearly like they want us to only go with the grain.
Kaepernick said Wednesday on his Instagram account that he will donate all the money he receives from his jersey sales to charity to thank fans for their support.
49ers’ jerseys with Kaepernick’s No. 7 are the top seller on the NFL’s e-commerce site, NFL Shop, and on the team’s merchandise page.
“We understand this may be seen as an extraordinary step”, the Spirit said, “but believe it was the best option to avoid taking focus away from the game on such an important night for our franchise”.
Advertisement
Marshall, who was Denver’s second-leading tackler during their run to a Super Bowl title last season and a teammate of Kaepernick at the University of Nevada, said last week that he supported Kaepernick’s actions.
