Social media is weighing in after New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees apologized for his comments regarding players kneeling to protest racial inequality and police brutality in which he said that he "will never agree with anybody disrespecting the flag of the United States of America or our country." Brees' words, spoken during an interview with CNN and coming amid protests in response to the police killing of George Floyd, sparked fierce condemnation from fans, including rebukes from his own teammates like Malcolm Jenkins, Michael Thomas, and Cam Jordan. On Thursday, however, Brees walked back his comments, acknowledging that they were "insensitive and completely missed the mark."
In his statement, shared to both Instagram and Twitter, Brees apologized to "my friends, teammates, the City of New Orleans, the black community, NFL community and anyone I hurt," stating that "It breaks my heart to know the pain I have caused." Directly addressing his remarks, Brees said "they lacked awareness and any type of compassion or empathy" and became "divisive and hurtful and have misled people into believing that somehow I am an enemy." The NFL player went on to clarify his stance, writing that he stands "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 also condemned "the years of oppression that have taken place throughout our black communities and still exists today" and acknowledged that "we as Americans, including myself, have not done enough to fight for that equality or to truly understand the struggles and plight of the black community." He added that he takes "full responsibility and accountability" for his Tuesday comments and the way in which they were perceived.
As with most apologies, Brees' words were met with mixed reactions. While some applauded his message and attempt to walk back what he had said just a day prior, others criticized him for changing his stance at all and others felt that his new words were insincere or simply not enough. Keep scrolling to see how fans are reacting to Brees' apology.