Marshawn Lynchsat during the national anthem before the Oakland Raiders' preseason opener Saturday night versus the Arizona Cardinals.
The running back, who came out of retirement to play for his hometown Raiders, met with the media Thursday. As is his modus operandi, Lynch evaded questions about his decision to sit during the national anthem.
His back-and-forth with scribes:
Question about the "elephant in the room" when he sat during the national anthem:
"I think that elephant just left the room cause a little mouse ran in here. Didn't they say elephants are scared of mouses or something? That (expletive) left, cousin."
Will it matter to him if Raiders fans wearing his jersey sit or stand during the anthem?
"When we run '74' or something like that where I've got to scan and read both sides, that'd be pretty difficult. But for the most part, I'm a veteran so I can make it work."
Having gone through camp, are you rejuvenated mentally and physically, or did you pick up where you left off?
"To be honest, I would say just getting my mentality back. Waking up early and having to go and do something physical in order to get my body back to playing ability was probably the hardest thing for me because I'm not a morning person. But after that was over, it was straight."
Did you miss playing football last year?
No.
It remains unclear if Lynch was protesting anything by sitting during the national anthem. NFL Network's Michael Robinson, who was Lynch's teammate in Seattle for close to four years, did not interpret Lynch's sitting as a form of protest, explaining to NFL.com last weekend that Lynch has rarely stood for the national anthem during his career.
It's no surprise that the tight-lipped running back dodged questions about sitting for the anthem. Oakland hosts the Los Angeles Rams on Saturday for the team's second preseason game. We'll see if Lynch sits again during the anthem. Either way, he's sure to be asked about his decision one way or the other the next time he meets the media.