After kneeling during the national anthem for the Denver Broncos' first eight games of the season, linebacker Brandon Marshall has effectively ended his protest.
Marshall stood for the anthem Sunday against the Raiders, and explained his position in a post on his Instagram account Sunday.
"For the 1st half of the season, I've been taking a knee for the National Anthem to raise awareness for social injustice and to start conversation about what all of us can do to make a positive change," Marshall explained, in part. "'I'm encouraged with the many productive discussions and progress that has taken place as the Denver Police department has decided to review its use of force policy... Going forward, I will be standing for the National Anthem—not because everything is perfect, or because I'm changing my stance on things. But because of my hope for what we can become. Just because I am standing doesn't mean the work will end. There's much work to be done..."
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In his post, Marshall cited the case of O'Shaine Evans, an African-American man shot and killed by San Francisco police in 2014. Evans, 26, was shot at seven times, and hit twice, after police said he brandished a .380-caliber handgun as he sat in a car while officers investigated a potential car break-in near AT&T park during a San Francisco Giants baseball game.
