On Wednesday, New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees gave his thoughts on the protests taking place across the country and protests in the NFL. Brees said that he would “never agree with anybody disrespecting the flag of the United States of America.” These comments had many in the sports community upset with Brees, including Saints teammate Malcolm Jenkins.
Brees in the past has been a huge supporter of the U.S. military, donating millions of dollars to various organizations that support American troops.
Early Thursday morning, Brees issued a lengthy apology on Instagram, saying that he acknowledges his mistake and takes responsibility for his actions. “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 exist 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.”
Despite the apology, there are still some who are unsure as to whether or not the views of the 41-year old quarterback have changed because of the backlash he received.
Many members of the NFL community have taken part in protests across the country following the death of George Floyd on May 25 in Minneapolis.
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