Marshawn Lynch just scored another point (no pun intended) with me and many others on Saturday. The Raiders’ running back remained seated during the national anthem during his first game back since the 2015 season.
The former Seattle running back sat on an orange cooler with his arms resting on his knees, while others around him stood.
Raiders coach Jack Del Rio was unaware of Marshawn’s intention to sit but said he spoke with the veteran rusher after the game.
“(Lynch) said, ‘This is something I’ve done for 11 years. It’s not a form of anything other than me being myself,'” Del Rio said. “I said, ‘So you understand how I feel. 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.”
Marshawn Lynch openly supported Colin Kaepernick’s protest against police brutality and racial injustice last season.
On a related note: Many mainstream media outlets reporting this story are mentioning that he had a banana in his hand while he sat. What does that info have to do with anything? What if he was holding a helmet or apple. Would they feel the need to mention that?
That’s the kind of disrespect that comes with standing up (or sitting down) for yourself in a society that doesn’t not care about the message he is trying to send.
Major props to Mr. Lynch.
-Tony Oluwatoyin Lawson
