Star NFL running back Marshawn Lynch of the Oakland Raiders was spotted sitting on the sidelines as the U.S. national anthem played before a Sunday afternoon game in Mexico against the New England Patriots.
Lynch appeared to take his demonstration a step further by standing during the Mexican national anthem, according to reporters at the game:
Some social media users responded, claiming that this was "false news" and that Lynch was sitting because his equipment was being worked on.
According to Sports Illustrated, it's not the first time Lynch chose to sit during the anthem. In fact, he's been doing it all season.
The Bleacher Report said over the summer that Lynch claimed he had been sitting during the anthem for 11 years, and his coach, Jack Del Rio, responded to that by saying, "It's a non-issue for me."
“On Marshawn, talked to Marshawn trying to make sure we’re on the same page,” Del Rio said. “He said, ‘This is something I’ve done for 11 years. It’s not a form of anything other than me being myself.’ 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. We’ll do ours.’ It’s a non-issue for me.”
Earlier on Sunday, Rare covered a retired NFL running back who strongly disagrees with the protests occurring during the national anthem.
Former NFL stand-out Herschel Walker blamed NFL commissioner Roger Goodell for allowing protests during the national anthem to become routine occurrences during the 2017 season and potentially beyond.
Walker said that he finds the protests “upsetting” and that they should have been stopped when they started.
"I absolutely think the protests are so upsetting, and I blame the commissioner," he said, according to the New York Post. "I know people are going to be angry when I say it, but he should have stopped the protests at the very beginning."
Walker said that if people want to protest they should do so in Washington, D.C.
“Our flag is very special, and black lives matter, but what we should do is go to Washington after the season and protest there instead. We have young men and women fighting for the flag. And we have to respect the White House,” he added.
Previously, Walker said that the NFL should make a rule that says players can only protest while “off the job.”
>> On Rare.us: NFL players take a knee on Veterans Day weekend
“I do, I think it means making a league-wide rule that if you want to protest, protest off the job. One of the things I want to say about the protests, where was everyone before the season started?” he asked. “I didn’t see anyone protesting in front of the White House, protesting in front of Congress or protesting in front of police officers. Why did we wait until football season started to start this again?”
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