Article below by Rashad Milligan at rollingout.com. Marcus is probably right that his protest was a signficant factor in his release. There are those who may disagree with this sentiment by pointing to the fact that there are players who did protest that were not released or otherwise punished. But this is a surface analysis because teams and owners differ. It is also relevant how vocal or how much of a leader the protester is in the overall movement. These are all relevant factors.
In September 2016, Marcus Ball raised one finger to the sky during the national anthem before his first game after being promoted from the team’s practice squad. Only a couple of days after the demonstration, Ball was cut.
“Before kickoff, they played the national anthem, as they always do,” Ball wrote in a Sports Illustrated column. “I stood. I honored the flag. I prayed. I sang. But I also acknowledged the protests and recent events that had been building around the country and recently in Charlotte. (That very week, a black man had been fatally shot by a police officer in the city.)”
Read the rest at Rollingout.com.
