SEEKING CHANGE
Talking with Brandon Marshall
Broncos linebacker Brandon Marshall kneeled during the national anthem for seven games last season to protest social inequalities in the United States. He followed the lead of former 49ers quarterback and his University of Nevada teammate, Colin Kaepernick, and faced the consequences that came with his actions.
Marshall lost a pair of endorsements. He lost fans. He received multiple hate-filled messages and letters. He watched a man burn an orange T-shirt on the steps of the Broncos’ practice facility.
But behind the scenes, Marshall also met with Denver Police Chief Robert White, spoke to local elementary school students in an effort to raise attendance, and developed a program, the Williams-marshall Cares Leadership Program, to expose teens in Las Vegas and Denver to leaders in both communities.
Broncos players decided as a team they would stand following their Week 3 protest in Buffalo. But the anthem controversy has ballooned into a national debate that was stoked by inflammatory comments from President Donald Trump and has led to meetings between league owners and players about how to temper the flames.
This week in New York City, owners will convene for their annual fall meeting, and discussion of the anthem is slated to be atop their agenda. Ahead of the meeting, and ahead of the Broncos’ Week 6 game against the New York Giants, Marshall spoke to The Denver Post and other local media Friday about the latest developments. Q: As the broader conversation of the anthem continues, do you find yourself more empowered or more exhausted by it?
A: “I’m not exhausted by any means. I kind of feel like the narrative has shifted a little bit to Trump and his comments. I would say I’m empowered by it more than I’m exhausted.” Q: (Owners) will meet this week and discuss the anthem. If they force you guys to stand, do you have an opinion?
A: “No, I don’t think Mr. Ellis (Broncos CEO Joe Ellis) or Vance (Joseph) would force us to stand. I think they’re all for players doing whatever they believe is right, which I respect from them. I heard what (Titans receiver) Rishard Matthews said — that’s my friend, I went to college with him — that he’d quit. I’m not sure how true that is because he ended up deleting the tweet. But you never know, he might. It’s just a money thing. They don’t want to lose sponsorships, potentially lose money from TV ads, I don’t know, the military, all of that. That’s really what it is. They’re trying to protect their business, which is one thing I do understand.” Q: Where would the players’ platform move? Is it working more visibly in the community?
A: “It’ll be that, but how much an impact would it have attentionwise? The anthem has gotten everyone’s attention in the whole United States, if not the world maybe. Every time we do something in the community, you guys (media) might tweet it out, might say something, but it doesn’t get national attention. The anthem protest is very controversial. That’s what sells newspapers, the controversy and the drama. Which is why Kaepernick thought it was the perfect platform, which it was. Because now, look, we’re all talking about it. It’s gone so far they might make us try to stand, the president is saying stuff about it. But some people say, ‘Go to the police stations and kneel,’ or ‘Go to the police stations and have conversations.’ I’ve had conversations. But protesting on our day off, it could work too. It’ll be tough, though.” Q: Has the league or NFL Players Association reached out to you to be a part of the discussions next week? A: “No.” Q: Would you want to be a part of it? A: “Yeah, I would want to. But I
don’t think they want the players to be a part of it. The NFLPA, they could probably bring us in, but I doubt the owners want the players’ opinions and say-so in that.” Q: Why do you think they don’t want your opinion?
A: “Because we have a voice. We have a voice and sometimes it could be to the detriment of what they want to accomplish. So we get in there and we start speaking and start doing this and it’ll be too much riff or too many arguments. But our agenda is not what their agenda is. Their agenda is the business, continuing to making money. The NFL makes the most money of any sport — that’s their agenda. Our agenda is — we love to play. We love to play and we want to get paid, but at the same time if we have a platform, we have a voice and if we feel strongly about something, we want to use that. But they’ve been honest they don’t care about that.” Q: Do you think it makes them uncomfortable?
A: “Absolutely. Absolutely it makes them uncomfortable. I believe that. Or we wouldn’t be at this point.” Q: Are you going to continue to stand?
A: “Yeah, I’ll stand. We made a team decision. I kneeled last year and stood back up. I really feel I don’t have anything to prove. I did it when it was not the popular thing to do, and I’ll definitely continue to do my work in the community with the kids and the things I love to do. Just do my part on the ground and hopefully create some change.”