The Raiders’ Derek Carr and Khalil Mack decided to make a statement of their own during the playing of the national anthem last weekend. However, both players insisted their statement was not an act of protest.
As the anthem played on Saturday, Carr and Mack stood beside each other on the sideline. As they stood, Carr placed his hand on Mack’s shoulder. Instead of a protest, though, the pair claimed to be making a statement of racial harmony.
“We wanted to show them that it’s OK for a white kid and a black kid that come from two different neighborhoods [to] grow up and love one another and be best friends,” Carr told ESPN.com. “And that’s what me and Khalil are — we’re best friends, and we love one another.
“The only reason we did that is to unify people, and to unify the people that look up to us because, obviously, we see what’s going on in the world and, obviously, everyone pays attention to the national anthem nowadays, and so we just said this was the best time to do it while still honoring our country,” Carr continued. “Because I love this 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. And I think that that’s the message, and that’s the only message we were trying to get out.”
Mack added that the two hoped that the anthem could be a platform for a different sort of message.
“To show [that] different races can get along, white, black, whatever you are, get along and be friends and … just show unity,” Mack told ESPN. “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.”
The 26-year-old white quarterback was raised in Texas, while the 22-year-old linebacker grew up in South Florida. Mack was the Raiders’ 2014 first-round draft pick, while Carr became the team’s second-round choice.
Carr said he didn’t want to be seen as any sort of off-field spokesman or political leader. Instead, he only wanted the love he has for Mack to ring out.
Mack and Carr’s display of unity, stands in stark contrast to fellow player Marshawn Lynch’s continued anthem protests.
A fourth player did something other than standing during the anthem in last weekend’s game, as well. Raiders rookie safety Shalom Luani took a knee as the anthem began, but stood before it ended.
Luani, though, claimed he was just kneeling in prayer and did not intend to make any statement about the anthem or the country.
Follow Warner Todd Huston on Twitter @warnerthuston.