Marshawn Lynch Earns Twitter Praise – and Persecution – for Sitting Out National Anthem

Some call the football star’s silent act business as usual, while another calls him “an ungrateful POS”

marshawn lynch national anthem

Through his entire NFL career, Marshawn Lynch hasn’t been afraid to go against the grain, whether it’s his refusal to speak to the press on Super Bowl media day or his outspoken support of Colin Kaepernick’s decision to kneel during the “Star-Spangled Banner.” On Saturday, during an NFL preseason game and just hours after the violence in Charlottesville, Lynch did it again by continuing his tradition of sitting down during the national anthem.

Oakland Raiders coach Jack Del Rio told reporters that while he personally believes in standing for the national anthem, he respects Lynch’s decision and called it a “non-issue.”

“[Lynch] said, ‘This is something I’ve done for 11 years,’” Del Rio recounted per The Mercury News. “‘It’s not a form of anything other than me being myself.’”

With emotions still running high after a white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, turning into a violent confrontation that resulted in the death of one counter-protester, many of Lynch’s fans took to Twitter to express their support for his actions. Others downplayed the moment, saying that what Lynch did on Saturday was no different than what he’s done from the moment he first entered the NFL.

Amongst the overwhelming response from supporters there were also his critics, who called Lynch out for being “Anti-American.”

https://twitter.com/charliewalsh9/status/896773892588527616

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