Denver Broncos linebacker Brandon Marshall — one of the first NFL players to follow Colin Kaepernick’s lead and kneel during the national anthem to protest racial injustice — thinks he knows how NFL owners feel about the protests, and why they feel that way.
When asked if he thought NFL owners would want to hear from players about the issue at league meetings next week, Marshall said he doubted it, as owners have different priorities.
“I don’t think they want us to be a part of it, though,” Marshall said, via Jeff Legwold of ESPN. “The NFLPA could bring the players in, but I doubt the owners want the players in. We have a voice, right? We have a voice and sometimes it could be to the detriment of what they’re trying to get accomplished. If we get in (the meetings) and start speaking, start doing this, it would be too much effort, too many arguments, I don’t know. Our agenda is not what their agenda is. Their agenda is business, continue to make money … that’s their agenda. Our agenda is we love to play, we love to play, we want to get paid, but at the same time, if we have a platform and we have a voice and we feel strongly about something, we want to use that. Being honest, they don’t care about that.
“Absolutely, absolutely [the protesting] makes them uncomfortable or we wouldn’t be at this point.”
Some owners are taking a harder line on protests than others, but Marshall is likely correct — if it is decided that the protests are threatening league revenues in any way, someone will almost certainly try to put a stop to them.
