Editorial

Drew Brees Apologizes For Saying He Doesn’t Support Kneeling During The National Anthem

OPINION
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David Hookstead Sports And Entertainment Editor
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New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees has apologized for saying he doesn’t support kneeling during the national anthem.

Brees blew up Wednesday all over social media after saying he would “never agree with anybody disrespecting the flag of the United States of America or our country” when talking about kneeling during the national anthem. (RELATED: David Hookstead Is The True King In The North When It Comes To College Football)

For those of you who didn’t see it, you can watch below.

“I would like to apologize to my friends, teammates, the City of New Orleans, the black community, NFL community and anyone I hurt with my comments yesterday,” Brees wrote in part in a Thursday morning Instagram post.

He further explained, “In an attempt to talk about respect, unity, and solidarity centered around the American flag and the national anthem, I made comments that were insensitive and completely missed the mark on the issues we are facing right now as a country. They lacked awareness and any type of compassion or empathy.”

You can read the full post below.

 

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I would like to apologize to my friends, teammates, the City of New Orleans, the black community, NFL community and anyone I hurt with my comments yesterday. In speaking with some of you, it breaks my heart to know the pain I have caused. In an attempt to talk about respect, unity, and solidarity centered around the American flag and the national anthem, I made comments that were insensitive and completely missed the mark on the issues we are facing right now as a country. They lacked awareness and any type of compassion or empathy. 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. This is where I stand: I stand with the black community in the fight against systemic racial injustice and police brutality and support the creation of real policy change that will make a difference. I condemn the years of oppression that have taken place throughout our black communities and still exists today. I acknowledge that we as Americans, including myself, have not done enough to fight for that equality or to truly understand the struggles and plight of the black community. I recognize that I am part of the solution and can be a leader for the black community in this movement. I will never know what it’s like to be a black man or raise black children in America but I will work every day to put myself in those shoes and fight for what is right. I have ALWAYS been an ally, never an enemy. I am sick about the way my comments were perceived yesterday, but I take full responsibility and accountability. I recognize that I should do less talking and more listening…and when the black community is talking about their pain, we all need to listen. For that, I am very sorry and I ask your forgiveness.

A post shared by Drew Brees (@drewbrees) on

This is an absolute joke. It’s an absolute joke that Drew Brees is apologizing for sharing the same opinion he has shared before.

I guess thinking kneeling during the national anthem is unacceptable is no longer allowed in America.

If you have this opinion, the mob online will hunt you down, find you and mandate that you apologize.

What an absolute pathetic and disgraceful situation.

I’m honestly at a loss for words right now. Brees did nothing wrong, and he has nothing to apologize for. He said he doesn’t agree with anthem protesters, and it’s not something he believes in.

I didn’t realize that in 2020, you either agree with the mob or you get canceled.