Seahawks’ Jeremy Lane sits during national anthem (Photo)

Seattle Seahawks defensive back Jeremy Lane sat out during the national anthem on Thursday night

It takes a lot for an athlete to take over not just sports news, but news in general, and that’s exactly what San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick did this past week when it was revealed that he sat out the national anthem prior to a preseason game. He would go on to explain his action, which led to much heated debates across the country. But when something along the lines of what Kaepernick pulled off happens, you wonder how many will follow suit to further the cause. Apparently, Jeremy Lane was on board.

As the NFL preseason wraps up, the Seattle Seahawks were on the road Thursday night taking on the Oakland Raiders, and this is where Lane apparently made his statement as well. During the national anthem prior to the game getting underway, Lane was photographed sitting on the bench, supposedly showing solidarity with Kaepernick and the message that he’s trying to get across.

Again, when someone takes a stand the way that Kaepernick recently has, you know that others will follow suit to help get the point across, and Lane took that stand on Thursday night. Whether anyone likes it or not, this is the beauty of free speech in this great country of ours.

It certainly will be interesting to see just how many more players will be trying to make their voices heard by merely sitting down during the national anthem, especially with the NFL regular season approaching.

Time will tell for that development, but for now, it’s definitely been eventful watching high-profile professional athletes take such a stand of this nature — which, again, highlights the freedom our country has to offer.