What is it Lynch is trying to say?
Marshawn Lynch made a statement in his first game in Oakland. What that statement is, we’re still guessing.
Saturday, the Raiders’ starting running back — as he did last week when he wasn’t playing — sat during the national anthem, almost completely hidden by Gatorade coolers. As the last note of “The Star-Spangled Banner” carried around the Coliseum, he hopped up and tightened up his pads.
Then Lynch played one series, his first action since the 2015 season. He carried the ball on the first snap, busting through the line for 6 yards, had another 4yard carry on the Raiders’ opening touchdown drive, and was done for the night.
Raiders fans made a statement,
too. They showed up with tangible proof that Lynch’s No. 24 is indeed the hottestselling jersey in the league. This summer, the NFL announced that Lynch’s Raiders jersey was the top seller in 14 Western states. Hundreds were on display Saturday. There were a few No. 24 Charles Woodson jerseys roaming around the parking lot and stadium, but the vast majority proclaimed “Lynch” on the back.
“His team, his town,” said one man, in full Beast Mode.
The fans’ statement may be partially political: their Raiders are leaving but they’re supporting the Oakland product who has come out of retirement and come home to play for his childhood team. Investing $99 in the jersey of a player who may only be around for five months is one way of standing Oakland Strong in the face of the impending move to Las Vegas.
If Lynch’s anthem statement is political, we’re still waiting for him to own it. It seems quite obvious that it is. You could argue that the first week, when he wasn’t scheduled to play, Lynch was just being Lynch, doing his own thing. He wasn’t in the league during the uproar over Colin Kaepernick’s protest last season. Maybe he was simply oblivious; maybe he doesn’t care to stand for the anthem much of the time.
But this week, after all the attention, all the tension and passion reverberating through the country, the move seemed quite deliberate.
When given the chance to address his behavior and what it meant last week, Lynch clowned his way through a brief news conference, not really answering questions. This plays well to a lot of his fans: they love his quirkiness and unwillingness to adhere to norms. They love that he does whatever he wants.
But the anthem protest is a serious issue that raises passions on all sides. One that requires a conversation. Clowning about it isn’t a great tactic, especially in the wake of the heightened emotions post-Charlottesville and the heat that others are taking.
Lynch’s mother’s Twitter feed is full of retweets about Charlottesville, Kaepernick’s protest and the fact that NFL players weren’t required to stand for the anthem until 2009. She is sending a strong message.
In the past week, we’ve seen intense reactions from other NFL players. Michael Bennett, Lynch’s former teammate, gave a very specific explanation of why he has decided not to stand. On Friday, his white teammate Justin Britt stood near him during the anthem with a hand on his shoulder.
“I want to support him,” Britt said. “I'm just trying to understand the issues, trying to educate myself more in that regard … what’s going on in the world and why it’s happening. Because none of it’s right. None of it’s what should be happening.”
Britt was the second white athlete to visibly offer support. Earlier, the Eagles’ Chris Long, son of Raiders great Howie Long, put his arm around safety Malcolm Jenkins, who raised his fist during the anthem this past week.
“I think it’s a good time for people that look like me to be here for people that are fighting for equality,” said Long, who played at Virginia, in Charlottesville.
Lynch is a committed community member. He does great work in Oakland, particularly with kids. He is a role model to many in Oakland. But he’s sending a mixed message. Is he making a statement? What is it? Does Lynch not want to deal with public reaction? Is an anthem protest really something to joke about and to treat with cryptic quirkiness?
Other NFL players don’t think so. Kaepernick would certainly say it’s not funny. Their actions have had consequences.
“Stepping out in front of all those people and the obvious attention that is going to be brought it is not an easy thing to do,” said Jenkins, who also raised his fist last season.
It’s not easy. It makes some people very angry, others proud. It opens discussion, provokes thought. It’s a statement.
One that’s worth owning. Ann Killion is a San Francisco Chronicle columnist. Email: akillion@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @annkillion