AS THE NATIONAL ANTHEM IS BEING PLAYED, AND IT HAS CAUGHT ON.
NOW A LOT OF FOLKS ARE DOING IT, I'M GOING TO TELL ñ
I'M GOING TO TELL YOU ABOUT ONE GUY IN PARTICULAR, BRANDON
MARSHALL, AND HOW EFFECTIVE IT HAS BEEN.
PEOPLE SAY IS MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING, NOTHING HAS BEEN
EFFECTIVE, NO, I'LL TELL YOU WHAT.
BUT FIRST LET ME GIVE YOU A SENSE OF HOW MUCH IT HAS SPREAD.
SO FAR THE PROTEST HAS SPREAD TO AT LEAST 48 NFL PLAYERS,
NINE NBA TEAMS, ONE GOLD MEDAL SWIMMER, ONE PRO WOMEN SOCCER
PLAYER, 52 HIGH SCHOOLS, 39 COLLEGES, ONE MIDDLE SCHOOL, AND
TO YOUTH FOOTBALL TEAMS ACROSS THE UNITED STATES, ALONG WITH
BRAZIL, CANADA, AND ENGLAND, AND A PARTRIDGE IN A PEAR TREE.
SO YES, IT HAS SPREAD.
IT HAS DRAWN A LOT OF ATTENTION TO THE ISSUES OF POLICE
ABUSE AND BRUTALITY, AND THE WRONG TRAINING THAT POLICE
ARE GETTING.
THAT IS WONDERFUL, AND IT ALREADY IN SOME WAYS
MISSION ACCOMPLISHED, AT LEAST IN TERMS OF LETTING MORE
AMERICANS KNOW, THIS IS WHAT AMERICANS GO THROUGH ñ
THIS IS WHAT AFRICAN-AMERICANS GO THROUGH.
NOW, I WANT TO TALK TO YOU ABOUT BRANDON MARSHALL IN PARTICULAR.
HE IS ONE OF THE FIRST PEOPLE TO JOIN THE PROTEST, AND AT
THE TIME COLIN KAEPERNICK WAS ALONE, AND BRANDON MARSHALL
TO LEE ñ TO GET ME AND SAID, I'LL JOIN YOU.
HE'S FROM THE DENVER BRONCOS, ANOTHER TEAM.
BRANDON MARSHALL IS A SUCCESSFUL PLAYER BUT NOT AS
WELL-KNOWN AS COLIN KAEPERNICK, OR SOME OF THE MORE
WELL-KNOWN STARS ON OFFENSE; HE'S A DEFENSIVE PLAYER.
HE HAD A COUPLE OF ENDORSEMENT DEALS, IMMEDIATELY HE LOST THEM.
IMMEDIATELY THEY DID NOT WANT TO BE ASSOCIATED WITH THIS
GUY, AND IT HAD A FINANCIAL IMPACT ON HIM, BUT HE SAID
I'M GOING TO KEEP ON DOING IT BECAUSE NO MATTER WHAT,
WE'VE GOT TO GET BETTER TRAINING ñ
AS WE'VE BEEN SAYING ON THE YOUNG TURKS ALL ALONG.
HE WENT ON TO PUT MORE MONEY WHERE HIS MOUTH IS.
THEY EXPLAINED ON THINK PROGRESS, "MOST OF THE
CRITICS OF THE PROTEST SEE THEM ONLY AS SYMBOLIC AS ñ
AND DISTRACTING, BUT MARSHALL HAS BEEN DETERMINED FROM
THE OUTSET TO MAKE SURE HE DID MORE THAN TAKE ANY.
HE HAS DONATED $300
FOR EACH TACKLE HE HAS MADE THE SEASON TO ORGANIZATIONS IN
THE DENVER COMMUNITY THAT ADDRESS RACIAL INEQUALITY
AND CLIENT ñ AND PLANS TO CONTINUE THOSE DONATIONS."
YOU MIGHT THINK IS A SMALL THING BUT GOT A LOT OF TACKLES,
HE'S A REAL GOOD PLAYER.
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SO THAT'S A GOOD AMOUNT OF MONEY GOING TO A CHARITY THAT WORKS ON
THIS PARTICULAR ISSUE.
WONDERFUL, BUT IT'S ABOUT TO GET BETTER.
HE HAS ALSO MET WITH DENVER -
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POLICE MULTIPLE TIMES IN RECENT MONTHS.
PARTICULARLY CHIEF ROBERT WHITE.
THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT THEY WERE
DOING
IT FOR, SO THAT THEY COULD
HAVE A CONVERSATION -
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AND OTHERS WHO SAID, IT'S A GOOD POINT, LET'S LOOK
AT THIS.
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AND THEY DID.
PEOPLE WHO DON'T WANT THE SYSTEM FIXED ALWAYS TELL YOU,
WHATEVER YOU DO, DON'T DO ANYTHING.
DON'T PROTEST, DON'T GO OUT IN THE STREETS, DON'T GET
ROWDY, DON'T EVEN SIT DOWN.
DON'T DO THE CALL MISSED PROTEST THERE IS, BECAUSE THEY
DON'T WANT THE SYSTEM TO BE FIXED.
BUT YOU'VE GOT TO KNOW SOMETHING, YOU HAVE GOT POWER,
AND IF YOU HOUR THROUGH ACTIVISM, YOU CAN HAVE AN
EFFECT.
AND IF YOU DO THAT, AS BRANDON MARSHALL AND COLIN
KAEPERNICK HAVE, YOU CAN ACTUALLY FIX THE SYSTEM.
AND BRANDON MARSHALL PUT OUT A QUOTE FROM PRESIDENT OBAMA,
WHICH IS, "CHANGE WILL NOT, IF WE WAIT FOR SOME OTHER
PERSON, OR SOME OTHER TIME.
WE ARE THE ONES WE'VE BEEN WAITING FOR.
WE ARE THE CHANGE THAT WE SEEK."
I COULDN'T AGREE MORE WITH THAT.
THERE IS SO MUCH MORE ACTIVISM LEFT TO DO ON THIS ISSUE
AND SO MANY OTHERS.
LET'S BEGIN THIS FIGHT TOGETHER, BECAUSE WORKS, AND THAT'S
HOW WE GET TO A BETTER WAY OF LIVING RIGHT HERE IN AMERICA.
THAT'S HOW WE MAKE AMERICA A MORE PERFECT UNION.