NAPA, Calif. _ Marshawn Lynch artfully dodged the topic of sitting for the national anthem Thursday as the Raiders wrapped up their 2017 training camp.
Lynch, speaking for the first time since camp opened on July 28, fielded a few questions before being asked about the "elephant in the room" regarding his decision to remain seated on a cooler during the anthem while eating a banana during the preseason opener in Arizona.
"I think the elephant left the room because a little mouse ran in here," Lynch said. "Didn't they say elephants are scared of mice or something? That (expletive) left the room."
Later, Lynch was asked if it mattered to him whether fans wearing his jersey during his homecoming game Saturday night against the Rams stood or sat for the national anthem.
His response was to answer a question that was not asked.
"When we run 74 or something like that, where I have to scan and read on both sides, that is pretty difficult," Lynch said. "For the most part, I'm a veteran so I can make it work."
While it appears Lynch's motives for sitting through the national anthem will remain a mystery, former teammate Michael Bennett of the Seattle Seahawks did the same thing Sunday night and it was in the name of racial injustice.
"I'm not going to be standing until I see equality and freedom," Bennett said.
According to Raiders coach Jack Del Rio, Lynch told him after the Arizona game that sitting for the anthem was something he had done for 11 years. Since that time, there have been photos located of Lynch standing for the anthem.
On some occasions with the Seattle Seahawks, Lynch did not appear on the sideline until the national anthem was played.
