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Denver Broncos star Brandon Marshall says Colin Kaepernick‘s National Anthem protest is a “beautiful thing” … and his old college teammate inspired him to follow suit Thursday night.

“I thought about it and I felt like this was the right thing to do,” the linebacker told “The Jason Smith” show on FOX Sports Radio. 

“I feel like what Kaepernick started, it’s a beautiful thing. A lot of people won’t agree with me, but I feel like it’s a beautiful thing.”

(FYI, Kaep and Marshall played together at the University of Nevada.)

“And I won’t just take knees, and that’s why I decided to donate an undisclosed amount to different programs that support the vets, ‘cause, you know, it’s tough for them in this country.”

“We send them off to war and they come back and it’s like they don’t get a lot of help. It’s tough for my uncle that’s a vet and family members. So I think this will spark some conversation and help to spark some more change.”

There’s more … Marshall says he only told ONE teammate about his plans to protest before the Broncos vs. Panthers game … tight end Virgil Green. 

“He told me, ‘Look man, just be prepared for all that entails. They’re gonna ask you some tough questions. Just be prepared to answer them.’”

“I told him, ‘Look man, I’m gonna be ready because I thought long and hard about it. And the people that love me are going to support me and I definitely appreciate that.’”