After kneeling for the national anthem during Thursday’s season opener in a show of solidarity with former college teammate Colin Kaepernick, Denver Broncos linebacker Brandon Marshall has lost an endorsement.
Glenn Strebe, president and CEO of Air Academy Federal Credit Union, announced in a Facebook post on Friday that the company is dropping Marshall as their spokesperson after a five-month partnership.
For his part, Marshall said he knew that he was running the risk of losing endorsements but decided to go through with the protest anyway.
“I’m going to get a lot of scrutiny and I understand that. In the eyes of a lot of people, I’ll be respected. In the eyes of most people, I’ll be hated,” Marshall said after Denver’s 21-20 victory over the Carolina Panthers, per Cameron Wolfe of the Denver Post.
“I was thinking I could lose endorsements. I could lose likability. I could lose my credibility in my community when I want to do things. I could lose that. But I’m a man of faith and I really prayed about it for a lot of days. I feel good about it. As a man, you can go home and put your head on your pillow and feel good with what you believe and what you stand in, then that’s OK with me.
“I’m not against the military. I’m not against the police or America. I’m just against social injustice,” Marshall added. “I’m proud of it. I don’t regret it. I know this is right.”
The right thing to do isn’t always the easiest thing to do, so credit to Marshall for standing with Kaepernick, whose message continues to resonate, even beyond professional football.
H/T theScore
