New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees urged President Donald Trump on Friday night to stop describing NFL players’ silent actions during the national anthem as disrespect for the U.S. flag as he walked back his own comments earlier this week about patriotism and protests.
In an Instagram post addressed directly to Trump, who had defended Brees’s criticism of social justice protests, the quarterback said: “Through my ongoing conversations with friends, teammates, and leaders in the black community, I realize this is not an issue about the American flag.”
But after many people, including his teammates and other NFL players, criticized Brees, he offered an apology Thursday and vowed to be an ally for the Black community in its fight against “systematic racial injustice.”
Trump has made it clear that he loathes NFL players who take a knee during the national anthem to protest racial injustice and police brutality against Black people.
On Friday, however, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell admitted that the league was wrong to not listen to its players and encouraged them to participate in the anti-racism protests that have been held across the U.S.
Goodell did not mention Kaepernick, who has been unsigned since 2017, in his all HuffPost superfans!
