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Sponsor Drops Brandon Marshall For Kneeling During National Anthem

DENVER (CBS4) - Broncos linebacker Brandon Marshall is out a sponsorship deal after he kneeled during the national anthem before Thursday night's game against the Carolina Panthers.

Air Academy Federal Credit Union posted to Facebook that, "although we have enjoyed Brandon Marshall as our spokesperson over the past five months, Air Academy Federal Credit Union (AFFCU) has ended our partnership."

Although we have enjoyed Brandon Marshall as our spokesperson over the past five months, Air Academy Federal Credit...

Posted by Air Academy Federal Credit Union on Friday, September 9, 2016

"I'm not against the military," Marshall said after the game. "I'm not against the police or America. I'm just against social injustice."

Brandon Marshall
Inside linebacker Brandon Marshall of the Denver Broncos looks on from the bench in the first half against the Carolina Panthers at Sports Authority Field at Mile High on Sept. 8, 2016. (Photo by Justin Edmonds/Getty Images)

San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick's decision not to stand for the anthem during the preseason, a protest against the way African-Americans and other minorities are treated in American society, has had a ripple effect throughout the NFL, with other players following suit.

RELATED: Kaepernick's No. 7 Now 3rd Most Popular Jersey Among QBs

"Colin is my fraternity brother, my ex-teammate, and I believe in what he's trying to do. I believe in his actions. So I definitely want to stand by him," Marshall said.

"While we respect Brandon's right of expression, his actions are not a representation of our organization and membership," AAFCU posted. "We wish Brandon well on his future endeavors."

The Denver Broncos released a statement about the matter to NBC, the network that broadcasted the game:

While we encourage members of our organization to stand during the national anthem, we understand and respect it being a personal decision.

On Friday Broncos Coach Gary Kubiak addressed the kneeling, saying Marshall "has a right to his beliefs, and I'm going to keep us focused on football."

Marshall says he'll continue to refuse to stand during the anthem.

"I feel like this is the right platform. This is our only platform to really be heard. And I feel a lot of times people want us to just shut up and entertain them, shut up and play football. But we have voices as well. We're actually educated individuals that went to college. So when we have an opinion and we speak it, I feel a lot of people bash us for what we have to say."

 

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