New Orleans Saints quarterback, Drew Brees, drew intense criticism when he said that he would “never agree with” NFL players protesting during the national anthem.
Today, Brees wrote a long apology for the remarks saying they were “insensitive.”
READ MORE: Saints’ Drew Brees blasted after saying he’ll never agree to anthem protests
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“They lacked awareness and any type of compassion or empathy,” Brees said. “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.”
The apology was posted on Instagram accompanied by a Black hand and a white hand clasped together.
As reported by theGrio.com, Brees said that the anthem often brings him to tears. He said that he thinks 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.”
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While acknowledging that America still has a “long way to go” to address racial injustice, Brees said, “We still have a long way to go. But I think what you do by standing there and showing respect to the flag with your hand over your heart, is it shows unity. It shows that we are all in this together, we can all do better and that we are all part of the solution.”
Still, some suggested that Brees would never get back the Saints locker room and should retire.
Drew Brees should probably retire pic.twitter.com/61nuI7jjys
— shannon sharpe (@ShannonSharpe) June 4, 2020
The comments were widely condemned by fellow NFL players and NBA players like LeBron James who said on Twitter, “WOW MAN!” James wrote, “You literally still don’t understand why Kap was kneeling on one knee??”
WOW MAN!! ??♂️. Is it still surprising at this point. Sure isn’t! 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. My father-in-law was one of those https://t.co/pvUWPmh4s8
— LeBron James (@KingJames) June 3, 2020
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