During the national anthem, prior to the Seattle Seahawks' 48-17 win over the Los Angeles Chargers, Pro Bowl defensive end Michael Bennett decided to sit on the bench.

This has immediately created a flurry of attention around his choice to sit during the anthem. In fact, Bennett doubled down on his move by stating that he will do it for the entire 2017 season.

“I want to be able to use this platform to continuously push the message … of how unselfish you can be as a society,” Bennett said. “How we can continuously love one another and understand that people are different, and just because they're different, it doesn't mean that you shouldn't like them. Because they don't smell the way you smell and they don't eat what you eat, because they don't pray to the same god that you pray to, doesn't mean that you should hate them. Whether it's Muslim or Buddhists or Christianity, whatever it is, I just want people to understand that no matter what, we're in this thing together. It's more about being a human being at this point.”

Bennett has been one of the most vocal players in the NFL over the past several years and has discussed the situation with Colin Kaepernick at length last season on several occasions. He has supported Kaepernick throughout the entire process and feels that the veteran quarterback is currently getting blackballed by the league.

His former Seahawks teammate running back Marshawn Lynch did something quite similar prior to the Oakland Raiders' preseason opener on the road against the Arizona Cardinals on Saturday. These two notable players could be the start of something much bigger if more big names get involved.

Above all else, it's clear that Kaepernick's message is a shared point of view by several of his peers.