Broncos player loses second endorsement after anthem protest

Denver Broncos player Brandon Marshall has now lost his second endorsement after kneeling during the national anthem before Thursday's game against the Carolina Panthers.

Marshall is the first player to have reportedly lost endorsements over the protest.

On Thursday night, before the league's nationally televised opening game between the Broncos and the Panthers, Marshall kneeled during the anthem, a sign of solidarity with San Francisco 49ers quarterback (and Marshall's University of Nevada teammate) Colin Kaepernick, whose protests have become one of the dominant storylines as the 2016 season gets underway.

Marshall's move initially cost him an endorsement deal with the Air Academy Federal Credit Union. Now, he's lost his second endorsement with cable and communications company CenturyLink.

Just as with the first incident, Marshall was at peace with the decision, telling ESPN, "I just lost another endorsement. But it's not going to make me lose any sleep ... I understand there will be things that come up, criticism and support. I just have to do what I think is right."

In a statement, CenturyLink acknowledged its "respect" for Marshall and "the right of individuals to express their beliefs." But, the company said, "we also occasionally must stand together to show our allegiance to our common bond as a nation ... the national anthem is one of those moments."

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

CenturyLink also happens to be the company that holds the naming rights to the stadium that hosts the Seattle Seahawks, whose Doug Baldwin participated in a preseason anthem protest.

Baldwin and his teammates took part in one of several small protests held around the league on Sunday. The Seahawks all linked arms and stood during the anthem before their game against the Miami Dolphins.

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

Meanwhile, four Dolphins players knelt during the anthem and three players, Marcus Peters of the Kansas City Chiefs and the New England Patriots' Devin McCourty and Martellus Bennett, held up fists during the anthem, a move reminiscent of Tommie Smith and John Carlos at the 1968 Summer Olympics.

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

All eyes will be on Kaepernick on Monday night when the 49ers open their regular season at home against the Los Angeles Rams in a game nationally televised on ESPN (10:20 p.m. ET).

In the wake of his protests, sales of Kaepernick's jersey have skyrocketed, with the QB saying he'll donate the proceeds from his jersey sales to various charities.