U.S National Football League star Marshawn Lynch, also known for not conforming to the typical interview model sports broadcasters expect of professional athletes and his activism in favor of “Africans” in the diaspora, remained seated while the national anthem was played during a pre-season game.
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Lynch was not available for reporters' questions after the game, according to Yahoo News.
However, Oakland Raiders team coach, Jack del Rio, told reporters that after the game Lynch told him “This is something I’ve done for 11 years. It’s not a form of anything other than me being myself.”
In response, del Rio said he strongly believes in “standing for the national anthem. But I respect him as a man and he can do his thing. So it's a non-issue for me.”
In previous exchanges with the media prior to or after games, Lynch responded to any and all questions by media reports with a simple “Yeah.” He broke the monotony with a brief response about a foundation dinner he was hosting to help raise money to build a sports center for "inner-city youth” in Oakland.
Lynch led the Seattle Seahawks to win Super Bowl XLVIII against the Denver Broncos in 2013, crushing the favorites 43-8.
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In April, Lynch, along with former teammates Chris Avril and Michael Bennet, traveled to Haiti to help build schools and homes capable of enduring natural disasters, according to Seahawks Wire.
Last year, during a televised interview on Conan O'Brien's late night talk show, Lynch lent his support to fellow sportsman Colin Kaepernick who knelt while the U.S. national anthem was played to protest police brutality and institutional racism in general.
“With what’s going on, I’d rather see him take a knee than stand up, put his hands up and get murdered,” Lynch said. He added that he hopes “people open up their eyes and see that there’s really a big problem going on and something needs to be done for it to stop.”