Nate Boyer is a fan of Drew Brees, but he believes the New Orleans Saints quarterback missed out on an opportunity to speak out against racial and social injustice in the country. Boyer retired army veteran who advised Colin Kaepernick to kneel during his protests in 2016, was recently on The Odd Couple with Rob Parker and Fred Roggin and said Brees’ comments about “disrespecting” the flag when kneeling was not the right time for it, considering the protests and riots going on due to the death of George Floyd.
“When somebody asks us a question like that is hoping to get a soundbite to use and put out on the airwaves, that was an opportunity to go another way with it,” Boyer said, talking about the question Brees was asked. “It’s the way he feels, I respect his feelings on that, and I understand there are a lot of people I served with in the military that feels the same way, but it also hurt a lot of people. It seemed a bit tone deaf to a lot of people, considering everything that’s going on, this week especially. Boyer continued and said he feels a sense of “pride” when he hears the Star-Spangled Banner played. However, the former NFL long snapper understands not everyone feels the same way Brees does when it comes to the national anthem.
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“It’s not their responsibility to just feel that because we were in the military and we fought for this country. So everyone needs to feel that same type of respect. They don’t feel like they count the same way. I would never want anyone standing, putting their hand on their heart saluting their flag out of obligation. That’s not the type of country I want to live in.”
Brees apologized for his comments on Thursday, in a lengthy post on Instagram. He said he “missed the mark on the issues we are facing right now as a country.” Brees added he 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. 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.”
