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All Broncos Players Stand During The National Anthem

DENVER (CBS4) - All players stood during the national anthem Saturday night ahead of the Broncos third preseason game.

Before the game against the Green Bay Packers, there was talk that linebacker Brandon Marshall, among others, may take a knee in response to what happened in Charlottesville, Virginia, as well as other issues across the country, as other players have done this season.

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Brandon Marshall takes a knee during the National Anthem before the Broncos home game against the Indianapolis Colts on Sept. 18, 2016. (Photo by Justin Edmonds/Getty Images)

Marshall knelt ahead of seven games last season, he says to protest social injustice in America.

He ended his protest in Oakland, "not because everything is perfect, or because I'm changing my stance on things," he posted to Instagram at the time, "but because of my hope for what we can become."

Broncos President of Football Operations and General Manager John Elway said, that "everybody has their right to do what they wish to do, and their beliefs are their beliefs, that's why we live in this country. We'll respect that and whatever you want to do is alright with us."

Elway commented on the issue during a joint practice with the San Francisco 49ers last week. Former 49ers player Colin Kaepernick was the first player to take a stand against racial injustice by kneeling during a preseason game last year.

RELATED: In Denver, NFL Commissioner Rogers Goodell Says Kaepernick Isn't Being Blackballed

Marshall and other players followed Kaepernick's lead in kneeling.

Elway said he's proud of how Marshall handled his demonstration on and off the field.

"Brandon made a point last year, but he carried it forward," Elway said. "He didn't make a stand on the field before the games, he actually went out in the community and did something, and talked to law enforcement, and has gotten involved in the community."

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