Drew Brees decided to come back to the Saints on a two-year deal this offseason, but the longtime New Orleans quarterback put his position as a locker room leader in jeopardy on Wednesday as he continued to criticize Colin Kaepernick’s silent protest of police brutality and racial injustice by kneeling during the anthem prior to NFL games — something that has gotten him blackballed from the league for three years.
Highlight: @readdanwrite asks @drewbrees what the star NFL quarterback thinks about “players kneeling again when the NFL season starts.”@drewbrees: “I will never agree with anybody disrespecting the flag of the United States of America or our country.”
Full exchange: pic.twitter.com/MpCkFyOMed
— Yahoo Finance (@YahooFinance) June 3, 2020
Those comments earned swift and rightful condemnation from Brees’ top target in recent years, as Michael Thomas took to Twitter to call out Brees while also posting about how black veterans were denied access to the GI Bill and other veteran programs after World War II. This was a clear message to Brees, who invoked his grandfathers’ service as a reason for not agreeing with the method of protest.
He don’t know no better.
— Michael Thomas (@Cantguardmike) June 3, 2020
We don’t care if you don’t agree and whoever else how about that.
— Michael Thomas (@Cantguardmike) June 3, 2020
— Michael Thomas (@Cantguardmike) June 3, 2020
— Michael Thomas (@Cantguardmike) June 3, 2020
Thomas wasn’t alone on the Saints in responding to Brees, as Cam Jordan and Alvin Kamara both offered some thinly veiled responses.
I’ve been told countless times, believe only half of what you see and none of what you hear. Idk bout it. I do know Actions speak louder than words. I’ve been told that a plenty… show me
— cameron jordan (@camjordan94) June 3, 2020
oop…
— Alvin Kamara (@A_kamara6) June 3, 2020
Others from around the NFL and beyond also gave their thoughts, with Julius Peppers and LeBron James explaining why Brees is so wrong on this issue.
If you’re still talking about players “disrespecting the flag” by kneeling during the national anthem clearly you’re not ready for these conversations. Call a time out and come back later.
— Julius Peppers (@juliuspeppers_) June 3, 2020
WOW MAN!!
. Is it still surprising at this point. Sure isn’t! You literally still don’t understand why Kap was kneeling on one knee?? Has absolute nothing to do with the disrespect of
and our soldiers(men and women) who keep our land free. My father-in-law was one of those https://t.co/pvUWPmh4s8
— LeBron James (@KingJames) June 3, 2020
men who fought as well for this country. I asked him question about it and thank him all the time for his commitement. He never found Kap peaceful protest offensive because he and I both know what’s right is right and what’s wrong is wrong! God bless you.
— LeBron James (@KingJames) June 3, 2020
Brees’ statement is a reminder of how Kaepernick’s protests and the message they were meant to deliver got hijacked and spun into some discussion of whether or not it was disrespectful to the flag or the military, when it was simply an effort to spark conversation around injustice in America, which years later remains a major issue. One would hope Brees would listen to his teammates and change his stance, but that seems unlikely given it’s been years of people explaining what Kaepernick was actually protesting and people still insisting he was disrespecting the military.