When the Denver Broncos hosted the Carolina Panthers to begin the 2016 NFL season, all eyes were on Cam Newton, Von Miller and Trevor Siemian. By time the game was getting started, everyone was talking about Broncos linebacker Brandon Marshall.
Marshall is entering his fifth season in the NFL and the linebacker was a former college teammate of San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick at Nevada. The pair played together from 2008-2010 and it’s apparent Kaep’s recent protest also made an impact on his former teammate.
Brandon Marshall, 26, kneeled during the national anthem before the matchup between the Panthers and Broncos and immediately came under fire from many people. Marshall now joins Kaepernick and his 49ers teammate Eric Reid and Seattle Seahawks cornerback Jeremy Lane as players who have elected to do national anthem protests.
Now before you criticize or congratulate the wrong Brandon Marshall, take note of what others have done. Brandon Marshall of the New York Jets has not yet played but Brandon Marshall of the Denver Broncos did play on Thursday night. And even worse than people mixing up the Marshall’s are the people who were happy that the linebacker left the game with a possible concussion. Some individuals are just ridiculous.
Marshall said the following after the Broncos victory.
The support for Kaepernick is growing and this is just the start of something that could be potentially huge for the NFL. Marshall set the tone on Thursday and with a full slate of games on Sunday along with a pair of primetime matchups on Monday, there could be some more players also taking a stand. Not to mention, the Seattle Seahawks are already planning a big team-wide national anthem protest which could set the tone for more social progress.
