Brandon Marshall Takes a Knee

During the National Anthem at the beginning of the season opener of the game, Brandon Marshall the Broncos linebacker kneeled. While Andra Day performed the anthem, the television broadcast the lone member of the Broncos team kneeling. Everyone besides Marshall was standing, even the other team – the Carolina Panthers.

This comes after Colin Kaepernick from the San Francisco 49ers decided not to stand during the National Anthem, due to the way African-Americans and others are treated in the United States. Many players have joined Kaepernick, but it is not yet known why Marshall kneeled.

In a statement released by the Denver Broncos to NBC on the matter, it said players are encouraged to stand for the National Anthem, but we do respect their personal decisions if they choose not to for whatever reason.

It is well known that Kaepernick and Marshall were teammates in Nevada. Besides Marshall, Eric Reid and Jeremy Lane are the only other players to kneel during the National Anthem.

The masculine name Brandon is derived from a surname that was taken from a place that means “hill covered with broom” from Old English. However, some also consider it to be a variant of Brendan, which is ultimately derived from the Welsh word that means “prince”.

The name first became known by the actions of Saint Brendan from the 6th-century, this Irish abbot crossed over the Atlantic ocean with 17 other monks to reach North America. Thus, making the name Brendan common in the English-speaking world.