Brett Favre Weighs in on National Anthem Kneeling

With the NFL season approaching, there is an expectation that NFL players will kneel during the national anthem. The nation has expressed split opinions on the matter with some showing support and others voicing anger. Hall of Fame quarterback Brett Favre has since weighed in and said that one player would not be right or wrong based on their decision.

"I know from being in an NFL locker room for 20 years, regardless of race, background, money you grew up with, we were all brothers, it didn't matter," Favre said to USA Today. "Guys got along great. Will that be the same [with kneeling scenario]? I don't know. If one guy chooses to stand for his cause and another guy chooses to kneel for his cause, is one right and the other wrong? I don't believe so. We tend to be fixed on highs. I don't know what it's like to be Black. It's not for me to say what's right and what's wrong. I do know we should all be treated equal. If you can't do that, you shouldn't be in America."

Favre continued and explained that he and his teammates had camaraderie in the locker room when faced with issues, but he did express concern about the national anthem and kneeling. He saw the backlash Drew Brees faced when he made previous comments about standing for the national anthem, which included teammates on the New Orleans Saints. Favre doesn't know if similar issues will arise in other locker rooms, but he knows that there isn't "one right answer" about whether or not players should kneel. He said that the only right answer is that they all get along.

The former Green Bay Packers quarterback previously spoke about the man who first kneeled during the national anthem prior to an NFL game — Colin Kaepernick. He compared the former San Francisco 49ers QB to the late Pat Tillman, who left his NFL career after Sept. 11 to enlist in the military and become an Army Ranger. Tillman was killed by friendly fire in Afghanistan in 2004.

"I can only think of right off the top of my head, Pat Tillman is another guy that did something similar," Favre told TMZ Sports. "And, we regard him as a hero. So, I'd assume that hero status will be stamped with Kaepernick as well ... It's not easy for a guy his age — Black or white, Hispanic, whatever — to stop something that you've always dreamed of doing, and put it on hold, maybe forever, for something that you believe in."

When Favre made the comments about Kaepernick, many fans reacted in a wide variety of ways. Some proclaimed that Favre was full of "bad takes" while others said that he had earned newfound respect. The sheer number confirmed that the nation still remains split about kneeling and whether or not it is disrespectful to the American flag and the military.

The discussions will continue as the NFL season approaches and after Week 1, especially if the players kneel as planned. President Donald Trump says that he will turn off the games and that others around the country will join him in the boycott. Other people, however, say that they will continue to support the players and the league if they kneel and show support for Black Lives Matter. Regardless of what happens outside the locker rooms, Favre expressed the opinion that the players need to get along.