Protests not an issue about American flag: NFL star Drew Brees to Donald Trump

Image Credits: Twitter/@drewbrees

After USA President Donald Trump stated that Drew Brees should not have backtracked on his original comments of honouring the American flag, the National Football League (NFL) quarterback has now come up and responded to the same by saying that the NFL protests were never about the national flag.

New Orleans Saints star Brees had received a flurry of criticism after he reiterated that he will never agree with anyone disrespecting the flag of United States of America in protest of police brutality.

However, Brees later apologised for his comments by stating that his remarks were insensitive and completely missed the mark on the issues that America is facing at the moment, CNN reported.

Reacting to the sane, President Donald Trump had taken to his official Twitter handle earlier on Saturday and told Brees that though he is a big fan of NFL player, the quarterback should not have taken back from his original statement.

"I am a big fan of Drew Brees. I think he’s truly one of the greatest quarterbacks, but he should not have taken back his original stance on honoring our magnificent American Flag. OLD GLORY is to be revered, cherished, and flown high," Trump had tweeted.

I am a big fan of Drew Brees. I think he’s truly one of the greatest quarterbacks, but he should not have taken back his original stance on honoring our magnificent American Flag. OLD GLORY is to be revered, cherished, and flown high... — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 5, 2020

Brees has now taken to his official Instagram account and responded to President Trump's comments, saying that the issue was never about the American flag and that the flag couldn't be used to turn people away from the real issues which the black communities are facing in the country.

"To @realdonaldtrump, 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. 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?," he wrote.

"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," Brees said.

View this post on Instagram

To @realdonaldtrump 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. 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.

A post shared by Drew Brees (@drewbrees) on Jun 5, 2020 at 7:10pm PDT

Earlier, Brees' original stance came when he was asked how the NFL will response if the season restarts and players resume kneeling during the national anthem as former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick used to do before games in 2016 in his protest of police brutality against minorities.

Replying to the same, Brees had said that he considers it disrespectful for players to kneel during the national anthem.

“I will never agree with anybody disrespecting the flag of the United States of America or our country,” Brees had told Yahoo Finance  in the interview. 

Brees said he envisions his grandfathers and other military men and women who risked their lives for th country whenever he looks at the flag and stand with his hand over his heart during the anthem.

"I love and respect my teammates, and I stand right there with them in regards to fighting for racial equality and justice. I also stand with my grandfathers who risked their lives for this country and countless other military men and women who do it on a daily basis," he added.

Brees' comments came after the US confronted a wave of protests following the death of George Floyd, a 46-year-old black man in Minneapolis who was pinned by his neck by a white police officer for almost nine minutes to the street during an arrest caught on a video. The officer was arrested and charged with third-degree murder.