Raiders RB Marshawn Lynch sits during national anthem

NFL-Raiders-Lynch-smiles-during-practice

Oakland Raiders running back Marshawn Lynch smiles during NFL football practice. (Jeff Chiu/AP)

ALAMEDA, Calif. — Oakland Raiders running back Marshawn Lynch sat during the national anthem ahead of the team’s season opener.

Lynch declined to stand for the anthem before a game against the Los Angeles Rams on Monday night. Lynch also sat for the anthem all of last season but never gave a reason for his decision.

No other players on either team demonstrated during the anthem. Only a handful of players took some sort of action to protest police brutality and social injustice in America on opening weekend.

The league and the players’ union have yet to announce a policy for this season regarding demonstrations during the anthem after the league initially ordered everyone to stand on the sideline when "The Star-Spangled Banner" is played, or remain in the locker room.

[relatedlinks]

When submitting content, please abide by our submission guidelines, and avoid posting profanity, personal attacks or harassment. Should you violate our submissions guidelines, we reserve the right to remove your comments and block your account. Sportsnet reserves the right to close a story’s comment section at any time.