Drew Brees, Trump spar after QB’s apology
New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees sent a clear message to President Donald Trump regarding NFL players kneeling during the national anthem in protest for criminal justice reform: this issue isn’t about the flag, and has never been.
Brees posted a lengthy message directed at Trump on his Instagram and Twitter Friday evening, two days after drawing criticism for his comments where he equated the players’ protest to disrespecting the military.
“Through my ongoing conversations with friends, teammates, and leaders in the black community,” Brees’ statement read. “I realize this is not an issue about the American flag. It has never been. We can no longer use the flag to turn people away or distract them from the real issues that face our black communities. We did this back in 2017, and regretfully I brought it back with my comments this week. We must stop talking about the flag and shift our attention to the real issues of systemic racial injustice, economic oppression, police brutality, and judicial & prison reform. We are at a critical juncture in our nation’s history! If not now, then when?
“We as a white community need to listen and learn from the pain and suffering of our black communities. We must acknowledge the problems, identify the solutions, and then put this into action. The black community cannot do it alone. This will require all of us.”
Trump has repeatedly and vociferously criticized former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick and other players for kneeling, turning the protests into
a wedge issue during his first term as President.
That continued with a series of tweets from Trump Friday evening.
The NFL players’ protests during the national anthem were brought to the forefront this week when Brees was asked during an interview with Yahoo! Finance if he supported players kneeling before games this upcoming season in the aftermath of George Floyd’s police-involved death.
“I will never agree with anybody disrespecting the flag of the United States of America or our country,” Brees said Wednesday, before later apologizing.
Floyd, a 46-year-old black man, died last Monday after a former Minneapolis Police officer Derek Chauvin, kneeled on his neck for more than eight minutes while arresting Floyd. Floyd was handcuffed, unarmed, and died. Chauvin was fired, then arrested and
charged with second-degree murder. Three other officers at the scene have also been fired, and subsequently charged with aiding and abetting murder.
Brees was not the only high profile figure in the NFL to reconsider his stance on protests during the national anthem, as commissioner Roger Goodell released a video Friday afternoon admitting the league was “wrong” in not listening to players “earlier.”
“We the National Football League admit we were wrong for not listening to NFL players earlier and encourage all to speak out and peacefully protest,” he said.
Brees’ Friday statement could be viewed as an attempt to regain equity with his African American teammates, after drawing heavy criticism from Saints safety Malcom Jenkins and players across the NFL for his original comments. The statement is also the latest rebuke this week of Trump and his handling of the aftermath of Floyd’s death.