Brandon Marshall discusses decision to knee during national anthem (video)
Denver Broncos inside linebacker Brandon Marshall chose to support Colin Kaepernick’s protest Thursday night, kneeling during the national anthem of his team’s season opener.
In the whirlwind following San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick’s decision in the NFL preseason to sit during the national anthem, plenty of players and prominent figures in the sports world have spoken out about the controversy.
From Drew Brees to Richard Sherman to Shaquille O’Neal to Stephen Curry, it seems like some new, respected athlete chooses a side on the matter and makes their opinion public with each passing day.
In the latest act of solidarity to support Kaep’s protest of racial inequality and police brutality, Denver Broncos inside linebacker Brandon Marshall took a knee during the national anthem of his team’s home opener Thursday night.
After the game, Marshall discussed why he took the knee and more:
Brandon Marshall explains why he took a knee during national anthem,will donate to charity, was ready for backlash pic.twitter.com/IIldqO6MBE
— Gifdsports (@gifdsports) September 9, 2016
According to Cameron Wolfe of The Denver Post, Marshall — a former teammate of Kaepernick’s from their playing days at the University of Nevada — will continue to kneel during the national anthem.
“Colin is my fraternity brother, my ex-teammate, and I believe in what he’s trying to do,” Marshall said. “I believe in his actions so I definitely want to stand by him, but at the same time, I didn’t want to just do it as far as, ‘I’m going to take a knee,’ but I will also donate to programs for veterans and different things like that.”
The Broncos released a statement during the first quarter on Marshall’s decision to kneel:
"“While we encourage members of our organization to stand during the National Anthem, we understand and respect it being a personal decision.”"
The Broncos linebacker acknowledged that he knew there’d be backlash for his decision before deciding to do it anyway. He also emphasized that his actions are not meant to disrespect the military and U.S. veterans, citing family members he has who have served.
Marshall had 101 tackles in 16 starts for the Broncos last season, including 1.5 sacks and an interception. He had 14 tackles and three forced fumbles in Denver’s playoff run to Super Bowl 50.
must read: 30 Best NFL Defenders of All-Time
Whether or not you’re onboard with this form of protest, one thing is for certain: Kaepernick has gotten people talking, and this discussion isn’t going away anytime soon.