Yesterday we told you about the great comments from Drew Brees when asked about NFL players potentially kneeling this year during the national anthem for George Floyd:
“I will never agree with anybody disrespecting the flag of the United States of America or our country. Let me just tell you what I see or what I feel when the national anthem is played and when I look at the flag of the United States.
I envision my two grandfathers who fought for this country during WWII, one in the Army and one in the Marine Corp, both risking their lives to protect our country and to try and make our country and this world a better place. So every time I stand with my hand over my heart, looking at that flag and singing the national anthem, that’s what I think about. And in many cases it brings me to tears, thinking about all that has been sacrificed. Not just those in the military, but for that matter, those in the civil rights movements of the 60s and all that has been endured by so many people up to this point.
And is everything right with our country right now? No, it’s not. We still have a long away to go. But I think what you do by standing there and showing respect for 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.”
Those were outstanding comments.
But since he made them there’s been a torrent of backlash over his comments and Brees has apparently now folded to the mob, apologizing for his comments and asking their forgiveness:
REUTERS – New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees issued a lengthy apology on Thursday for comments he made about kneeling protests being disrespectful to the American flag that drew criticism on social media.
“I would like to apologize to my friends, team mates, the City of New Orleans, the black community, NFL community and anyone I hurt with my comments yesterday,” said Brees in an Instagram post alongside a picture of white and black hands shaking.
“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.”
There was nothing insensitive about his comments at all. They were on point and I wish he hadn’t apologized for them.
Below are his full comments from Instagram: