Brandon Marshall of the Denver Broncos has made the decision to end his protest against the National Anthem. Marshall, who joined the movement after Colin Kaepernick, released a statement on his Instagram account explaining his choice to stand.

“For the 1st half of the season, I’ve been taking a knee for the National Anthem to raise awareness for social injustice and to start conversation about what all of us can do to make a positive change. I’m encouraged with the many productive discussions and progress that has taken place as the Denver Police department has decided to review its use of force policy. I’m proud to have joined so many of my peers throughout sports who’ve also made their own statements.

Going forward, I will be standing for the National Anthem—not because everything is perfect, or because I’m changing my stance on things. But because of my hope for what we can become. Just because I am standing doesn’t mean the work will end. There’s much work to be done. I’ll continue to recognize and support organizations that are stepping up as leaders and making a real difference in our community, and I will do my part to be there for those in need.

One of those organizations is the Idriss Stelley Foundation, a grassroots organization in the Bay Area that offer free support to victims of police violence. I’ll be standing for them and the family of the late O’Shaine Evans—on Sunday night in addition to making a donation from my Tackle Change program to further the meaningful work of this group.

I really appreciate the support from my family, teammates, coaches and fans. I’m grateful for those who have taken the time to hear me out.

I’m excited for what all of us can accomplish when we truly work together.”

No one realistically expects players to protest until everything is fixed again – they’ll likely be retired before then. But Marshall’s decision surely comes off as a bit premature given that no substantial strides have really been made since the protest began months ago.

Fortunately, the biggest takeaway from all of this is that there is still work to be done and Marshall plans to continue to do so.

Photo Credit: Instagram