Saints quarterback Drew Brees takes stand on kneeling during anthem: ‘Never agree’
New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees wants NFL players to know he will not support those who take a knee during the national anthem during the 2020 season.
On Wednesday, Brees spoke with Yahoo Finance and said that he believes those kneeling in protest is disrespectful to those who have fought for the country’s freedom.
“I will never agree with anybody disrespecting the flag of the United States of America or our country,” 41-year-old quarterback said.
A day after his comments to Yahoo Finance, Brees issued an apology on Instagram. He called his remarks “insensitive” and said he stands with the black community.
“(My comments) lacked awareness and any type of compassion or empathy,” he wrote Thursday. “Instead, those words have become divisive and hurtful and have misled people into believing that somehow I am an enemy. This could not be further from the truth, and is not an accurate reflection of my heart or my character.”
According to Yahoo Sports, Brees made comparisons Wednesday of the sacrifices of those in the military to sacrifices made by those who fought for civil rights.
“[Whenever I hear the national anthem] I envision my two grandfathers, who fought for this country during World War II, one in the Army and one in the Marine Corp. Both risking their lives to protect our country and to try to make our country and this world a better place. So every time I stand with my hand over my heart looking at that flag and singing the national anthem, that’s what I think about. And in many cases, that brings me to tears, thinking about all that has been sacrificed.
“Not just those in the military, but for that matter, those throughout the Civil Rights movements of the ‘60s, and all that has been endured by so many people up until this point. And is everything right with our country right now? No, it is not. We still have a long way to go.”
Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James took to Twitter to call out the quarterback in response. “WOW MAN!! ... You literally still don’t understand why Kap was kneeling on one knee?? Has absolute nothing to do with the disrespect of and our soldiers (men and women) who keep our land free ... ,” he said.
In 2016, San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick took a knee during the national anthem to protest racial injustice and police brutality..
“I am not going to stand up and show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color,” Kaepernick said, NFL.com reported. “To me, this is bigger than football and it would be selfish on my part to look the other way. There are bodies in the street and people getting paid leave and getting away with murder.”
The decision led to an avalanche of criticism, and Kaepernick has not been signed by any NFL team since opting out of his contract in 2017.
There have been protests across the country following the death of George Floyd, a black man who died while in Minneapolis police custody.
Athletes from across the nation have been speaking out in support of the protesters and the Black Lives Matter movement.
On Wednesday, Denver Broncos head coach Vic Fangio, who was the defensive coordinator for San Francisco when Kaepernick played for the team, said that he doesn’t see racism in the NFL.
“I think our problems in the NFL along those lines are minimal,” Fangio said, according to McClatchy. “We’re a league of meritocracy, you earn what you get, you get what you earn. I don’t see racism at all in the NFL. I don’t see discrimination in the NFL.”
Fangio has since apologized.
Since Brees’ statement, more athletes, including his own teammates, have spoken out against his comments.
49ers safety Richard Sherman took aim on Twitter, saying “That uncomfortable conversation you are trying to avoid by injecting military into a conversation about brutality and equality is part of the problem.”
Other NFL players like Tyrann Mathieu, Julius Peppers, and Aaron Rodgers also offered opinions.
Brees’ teammates, wide receivers Emmanuel Sanders and Michael Thomas also joined in on the conversation.
This story was originally published June 3, 2020 at 4:42 PM with the headline "Saints quarterback Drew Brees takes stand on kneeling during anthem: ‘Never agree’."