Hours after President Donald Trump said Drew Brees "should not have taken back his original stance on honoring our magnificent American Flag," the New Orleans Saints quarterback responded with a post on Instagram.
"Through my ongoing conversations with friends, teammates, and leaders in the black community, 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," Brees wrote in his Friday night post addressed to Trump.
"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."
Brees set off a firestorm Wednesday when he said he would "never agree with anybody disrespecting the flag of the United States of America or our country," when asked in an interview with Yahoo! Finance about the possibility of protests during the national anthem at NFL games this season.
He apologized with two separate Instagram posts Thursday, saying in a video: "I am sorry. And I will do better. And I will be part of the solution. And I am your ally."
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Trump then weighed in Thursday, tweeting:
"I am a big fan of Drew Brees. I think he’s truly one of the greatest quarterbacks, but he should not have taken back his original stance on honoring our magnificent American Flag. OLD GLORY is to be revered, cherished, and flown high...
"We should be standing up straight and tall, ideally with a salute, or a hand on heart. There are other things you can protest, but not our Great American Flag - NO KNEELING!"
Protests across the United States have erupted following the death of George Floyd, a black man who died while in police custody on May 25.
Former NFL QB Colin Kaepernick took a knee during the anthem in protest of police brutality and other social and racial injustices during the 2016 season. While Kaepernick has not played in the NFL since that season, several players have continued some type of protest or demonstration during the anthem since, and kneeling was widespread during part of the 2017 season after critical comments from Trump about the practice. That, seemingly, is what Brees was referring to in his Instagram post.
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Drew Brees responds to President Trump: Protests 'not an issue about the American flag' - USA TODAY
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