Drew Brees Apologizes for Comments About the Flag: 'I Completely Missed the Mark'

From Men's Health

One day after making insensitive comments about NFL players taking a knee during the national anthem, New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees is attempting to make amends.

In an Instagram post on Thursday morning, Brees apologized for what he said in a recent interview with Yahoo Finance, where he stated that he would “never disagree with anybody disrespecting the [American] flag” by kneeling before kickoff.

“I would like to apologize to my friends, teammates, the city of New Orleans, the black community and anyone I hurt with my comments yesterday,” he wrote. “In an attempt to talk about respect, unity and solidarity… 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.”

“Instead, those words have become divisive and hurtful and misled people into believing I am somehow the enemy,” the quarterback continued. “This could not be further from the truth, and is not an accurate reflection of my heart or my character.”

Brees also addressed the continued oppression that the black community faces, and that there needs to be a fight for equality and gain a better understanding of the struggles they go through to gain equal rights. “I will never know what it’s like to be a black man in America,” he said, “but I will work every day to put myself in those shoes and fight for what is right.”

The quarterback ended his apology by saying that he takes full responsibility for his words and needs to be more accountable for his actions. “I recognize that I should do less talking and more listening… when the black community is talking about their pain, we all need to listen.”

It should also be noted, though, that Brees' statement doesn't acknowledge, at a micro level, why he's apologizing, or what the issue with what he said was. "I am sick about the way my comments were perceived yesterday," he says, implying that the problem lies more in the way that others chose to read his words, rather than the words and intent behind them in itself.

After Brees' 'flag' comments—began to go viral, members of the sports community—including fellow NFL superstars—quickly condemned him over social media for how insensitive his comments were to the black community not only in general, but particularly at this moment in the aftermath of the senseless killing of George Floyd, amidst nationwide protests and unease.

Among those to chime in: LeBron James, Richard Sherman, and Kyle Kuzma (who's message was retweeted by Colin Kaepernick himself)

Saints defensive back (and teammate) Malcolm Jenkins was particularly offended by Brees’ words, saying in an emotional IGTV video that Brees’ comments not only hurt him, but made the quarterback look extremely self-centered.

“Our communities are under siege, and we need help," Jenkins said. "And what you're telling us is don't ask for help that way. Ask for it a different way. I can't listen to it when you ask that way. We're done asking, Drew. And people who share your sentiments, who express those and push them throughout the world, the airwaves, are the problem.”

Michael Thomas, another teammate of Brees' and perhaps the best wide receiver in the NFL, responded to Brees' comments simply enough: an 'about-to-vomit' emoji.

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