*Now that Drew Brees has seen the light about kneeling in the NFL and race overall, he’s now seeing first hand how almost impossible it is for Donald Trump to do the same.
On Friday night, the now seemingly enlightened New Orleans Saints quarterback went at the President of the United States just days after they both appeared to be on the same side about protests during the national anthem at NFL games.
If you missed it, earlier this week, Brees told Yahoo Finance that he would “never agree with anybody disrespecting the flag” when asked about the possibility of players protesting again during the national anthem this season.
After getting slammed by critics, including several of his own teammates, Brees later apologized. But Trump, of course, who NEVER apologizes, responded to Brees’ comments on Friday afternoon. As a so-called “big fan” of Brees, said the QB “should not have taken back his original stance on honoring our magnificent American flag.”
…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!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 5, 2020
Brees new response: ‘It has never been’ about the flag
Not only that, he went the extra step and posted an Instagram message directly to Trump on Friday night, calling him out for turning the protests about racial and social justice into an issue about disrespecting the flag.
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“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,” Brees wrote. “We can no longer use the flag to turn people away or distract them from the real issues that face our black communities.
“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.”
Cue Sam Cooke’s “A Change is Gonna Come”
Lo and behold, Brees wasn’t alone in pushing back, either. After countless players and other athletes have said over and over that the protests had nothing to do with disrespecting the flag or the United States military and called for the NFL to address systematic racism and oppression of black Americans, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell issued an apology video on Friday afternoon.
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“We, the National Football League, admit we were wrong for not listening to NFL players earlier, and encourage all to speak out and peacefully protest,” Goodell said in the video, in part. “We, the National Football League, believe black lives matter.”
Brees’ letter to Trump appears to have gone over extremely well with his teammates, some of whom praised him almost instantly.
A big part of leadership is admitting when you are wrong, and correcting your mistake. A model that All of America can follow, admit the wrong done to the black community, fix the issues and WE ALL move forward together. Let’s all stand together now and find solutions. https://t.co/8RG3wMeiSd
— Demario Davis #56 (@demario__davis) June 6, 2020
“Drew, as much as your comments hurt me and many other people, I appreciate you. For listening. Because being heard is a big part of it.” @MalcolmJenkins pic.twitter.com/X5XA30iw0L
— Luke Johnson (@ByLukeJohnson) June 6, 2020
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