Click here for Mobile Site: http://m.cbs4denver.com
  • Font Size    
Advertising
E-mail

Close Window E-mail This Page

Heinzerling: Stokley's Reaction Was The Right One

Required fields are marked with an asterisk(*)

The information you provide will be used only to send the requested e-mail and will not be used to send any other e-mail communications. Read more in our Privacy Policy

Send E-mail

   Print     Share +    Comments
Nov 8, 2008 8:55 pm US/Mountain

Heinzerling: Stokley's Reaction Was The Right One

Not On The NFL's Turf

By Brett Heinzerling, CBS4 Sports Producer

Text 4broncos to 66247 sign up for CBS4 Broncos text alerts More Info
DENVER (CBS4) ― I understand Brandon Stokley's reaction. As a matter of fact, I think Brandon Stokley's reaction was the right one ... at least as far as football is concerned. When the other Brandon made the decision to honor the election of Barack Obama by violating league rules, he did not have his team, nor did he have the outcome of Thursday night's pivotal game in mind.

But Brandon Marshall was right. His intended celebration of unity was one that would have forced a nation of football fans to confront an issue that is obviously very dear to Marshall. All week in the locker room, Marshall spoke out about his feelings regarding the possibility of Obama's election, then after the fact, he was not shy about the pride he felt in seeing a fellow African-American rise to the highest office in the land.

Most people don't have a forum to make these comments. With a weekly press conference and near-daily interviews, Marshall does, but in the locker room, the words come and go. A very public and very visible demonstration during a nationally televised football game would have given him a platform to speak his mind to a national audience that is simply not available to him on a daily basis.

The gloved hand would have elicited a strong reaction ... both in favor of, and against the demonstration. But more than anything, it would have been a visible representation of what Marshall, and I imagine, an enormous number of Americans believe.

I don't blame Brandon Stokley for preventing what could have become a very poignant moment in American sports. He simply had the best interest of the team in mind. Instead, the blame rests squarely on the NFL. The simple fact that a member of the National Football League has to weigh the consequences between making a political statement and potentially risking a fine and his team's chance at a win is despicable.


Stay Up To Date On The Denver Broncos

• Text: To sign up for CBS4 Broncos Insiders text alerts, text 4broncos to 66247 (More Info)
• E-mail: Sign up for CBS4 Broncos Insiders e-mail updates.




(© MMX CBS Television Stations, Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

Curious & Controversial News

Add Comment

here. here. Need a log in? Register here
  •  * Will not be displayed with comment
  •  * e.g. (http://www.mywebsite.com)
  •  
  • Click here to refresh with new letters

Show Comments (0)

Close Window Login


Close Window Flag Comment


loading...
You need the latest Flash player to view video content.
Click here to download.

Click here to bypass this detection if you already have the latest Flash Player.

Broncos

Top News Stories

© MMX, CBS Television Stations Inc. All Rights Reserved.