NFL star Drew Brees will never agree with his teammates who kneel during the national anthem.
Brees joined Yahoo Finance on Wednesday and was asked about “players kneeling again when the NFL season starts.”
“I will never agree with anybody disrespecting the flag of the United States of America or our country,” the New Orleans Saints quarterback explained.
He added that when he hears the national anthem or sees the American flag, he thinks of his two grandfathers who fought in World War II.
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
“Is everything right with our country right now? No, it’s not. We still have a long away to go,” he said. “But I think what you do by standing there and showing respect for 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,” he added.
Former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick, a vocal supporter of the Black Lives Matter movement, started the trend of kneeling for the national anthem before games in protest of police brutality and systemic racism. The demonstration created controversy after receiving backlash from some who argued it was disrespectful to the flag and troops. Over time, the tactic became less prevalent.
Brees’s remarks come amid speculation that players may return to kneeling for the national anthem during the coming season due to the widespread protests over the death of George Floyd, an unarmed black man. Floyd died last week while in Minneapolis police custody after now-fired officer Derek Chauvin held his knee on Floyd’s neck for nearly nine minutes.
Chauvin has been fired and charged with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. His charges are expected to be upgraded to second-degree murder. Three other officers on the scene during Floyd’s arrest were fired with Chauvin and are also expected to face charges.
