Denver Broncos inside linebacker Brandon Marshall (54) kneels during the National Anthem prior to an NFL football game against the Carolina Panthers, Thursday, Sept. 8, 2016, in Denver. (AP Photo/Joe Mahoney)
DENVER – Broncos linebacker Brandon Marshall, a college teammate of Colin Kaepernick, took to a knee during the playing of the National Anthem before Denver's season opener against Carolina.
Kaepernick refused to stand for the anthem during San Francisco's preseason games , explaining it was to protest racial oppression and police brutality in the United States.
It opened a wide debate and put the microscope on a pregame tradition that has, for decades, been routine.
Marshall was standing with his hand over his heart during the Anthem before a preseason game on Aug. 20.
He made no mention of his plans for Thursday's opener but shortly after the large American flag was unfurled, the fifth-year linebacker out of Nevada went to the end of a long row of Broncos and took a knee.