Saturday’s preseason action featured several notable players on the Raiders roster making silent statements during the national anthem. Running back Marshawn Lynch sat during the national anthem for the second time this preseason. For the first time, quarterback Derek Carr and defensive end Khalil Mack were part of the display.
During the anthem, Carr and Mack stood in a prominent spot on the edge of the field, with Carr’s arm clearly draped over Mack’s shoulder during the full anthem.
After the game, Carr and Mack discussed the decision to stand side-by-side and had a powerful message about their decision: they are “best friends” and wanted to show the world it is perfectly acceptable for people of different races to get along.
“What we wanted to do is show all the kids that look up to me, that look up to him that white kids, black kids, brown kids — blue, green; it doesn’t matter — can all be loving to each other,” Carr said, via the Las Vegas Review-Journal. “That’s what me and Khalil are. We’re best friends, and we love one another. The only reason we did that was to unify people and unify the people that look up to us.”
Carr emphasized the decision was not a protest but a statement of unity between two people from different backgrounds.
“Obviously, we see what’s going on in the world. And obviously, everybody pays attention to the national anthem nowadays,” Carr said. “We just said, ‘This is the best time to do it while still honoring our country,’ because I love our country more than anything. We’re free to live here and play this game. But we’re also free to show each other that we love one another. That’s the only message we were trying to send.”
Mack added similar sentiments, noting he doesn’t “like the attention” that comes with doing such things, but using “my platform for positivity” and “togetherness” are important enough to him to make a public statement like he did on Saturday night.
“To show [that] different races can get along, white, black, whatever you are, get along and be friends and … just show unity,” Mack said. “Show togetherness. It’s discussed a lot. It’s one of the things I feel passionately about, but I just don’t like the attention, the attention that comes with it. But at the same time, just using my platform for positivity is what’s important for me.”
Carr and Mack were part of the same draft class in 2014, with Mack going to the Raiders in the first round and Carr coming in second. They are the lynchpins for the Raiders on each side of the ball. Mack is the reigning Defensive Player of the Year and the engine that makes the defense go. Landing Carr in the second round is the primary reason why the Raiders turned things around so quickly under Reggie McKenzie and Jack Del Rio. Carr is locked in for the long haul with an expensive contract and Mack eventually will be as well.
They are also the primary leaders on this Raiders team. And it showed in an impressive way on Saturday as they provided a positive message that everyone needs to hear right now.
