Oakland Raiders running back Marshawn Lynch remained seated during the national anthem before Saturday’s exhibition opener against the Arizona Cardinals. The move looked like a silent protest in line with that of Colin Kaepernick’s kneeling protest against racism and police brutality last season, although it’s unclear whether it had anything to do with the events unfolding in Charlottesville on Saturday. It’s even difficult to really call it a protest considering Lynch has yet to talk to the media about his decision to not stand alongside his teammates for the anthem. The only one who referenced the issue was Raiders coach Jack Del Rio, who spoke to reporters after the game.
“Talked to Marshawn. Wanted to make sure we’re on the same page,” Del Rio said. “He said, ‘This is something I’ve done for 11 years. It’s not a form of anything other than me being myself’.” The coach went on to tell him that “I very strongly believe in standing for the national anthem, but I’m going to respect you as a man. You do your thing, and we’ll do ours.’ So that’s a non-issue for me.”
Despite Lynch’s claims, photographs quickly made the rounds on social media showing Lynch standing for the anthem during his time with the Seahawks. Yet there’s also evidence that he sat down during the national anthem in some instances, including the Seahawks’ playoff game against the Panthers in January 2016.
Lynch was not in the NFL during Kaepernick’s kneeling protest but had previously praised the quarterback for taking a stance on an important issue. “With what’s going on, I’d rather see him take a knee than stand up, put his hands up and get murdered,” Lynch told Conan O’Brien in September of last year. “So my take on it is shit has to start somewhere, and if that was the starting point, I just hope people open up their eyes to see that there’s really a problem going on, and something needs to be done for it to stop. And if you’re really not racist then you won’t see what he’s doing as a threat to America, but just addressing a problem that we have.”
Lynch didn’t play in the Saturday game, when the Raiders lost 20-10 to the Cardinals.
