Former NFLer on Drew Brees: 'It's a time to stand up'
Scott Turner, former NFL player, comments on Drew Brees' opinion on players kneeling during the National Anthem and disrespecting the flag
Drew Brees apologized Thursday for anyone whom he hurt with his comments about his stance against kneeling during the national anthem in wake of the visceral backlash he received.
In a lengthy Instagram message, Brees admitted he made comments that were “insensitive and completely missed the mark on what we are facing right now as a country.”
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“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,” he added.
The veteran New Orleans Saints quarterback then tried to clarify his stance.
“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,” he wrote. “I condemn the years of oppression that have taken place throughout our black communities and still exists today.”
He said he acknowledged that he and other Americans have not done enough to fight for equality for African-Americans.
“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,” he added.
“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.”
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Brees' comments came less than 24 hours after he said he would never agree with kneeling during the national anthem.
Brees told Yahoo Finance that he would never agree with players protesting during the national anthem.
“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,” he said.
Brees likened standing for the national anthem to saluting the military.
“I envision my two grandfathers, who fought for this country during World War II, one in the Army and one in the Marine Corps. Both risking their lives to protect our country and to try to 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," he said.
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"And in many cases, that brings me to tears, thinking about all that has been sacrificed. Not just those in the military, but for that matter, those throughout the civil rights movements of the ‘60s, and all that has been endured by so many people up until this point. And is everything right with our country right now? No, it is not. We still have a long way to go. But I think what you do by standing there and showing respect to 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.”
Brees received backlash from across the sports spectrum, including LeBron James, Aaron Rodgers and several of his teammates.