Drew Brees’ kneeling rebuke causes Michael Thomas controversy

When asked about the possibility of fellow NFL players kneeling to protest police brutality during the 2020 season, Saints quarterback Drew Brees said, “He will never agree that no one is missing. respect for the flag of the United States of America or our country. “

In an interview with Yahoo FinanceBrees discussed how he views the American flag while defending the national anthem before games. He also compared the sacrifices his two grandparents made during World War II with those they fought in the civil rights movements of the 1960s.

“Let me say what I see or feel when I play the national anthem and when I look at the flag of the United States,” said Brees, 41. “I imagine my two grandparents, who fought for this country during World War II, one in the Army and the other in the Marine Corporation. They both risked their lives to protect our country and try to make our country and this world a better place.

“So every time I stand with my hand over my heart looking at that flag and singing the national anthem, that’s what I think. And in many cases, that makes me cry, think about everything that has been sacrificed. Not only those in the military, but also, those in the civil rights movements of the 1960s, and everything that has endured so many people so far.

“And everything is fine with our country right now? No, it’s not. We still have a long way to go. But I think what you do by standing there and showing respect for the flag with your hand over your heart is that it shows unity. It shows that we are all in this together, that we can all do better, and that we are all part of the solution. “

Saints receiver Michael Thomas apparently responded to Brees’ comments Wednesday.

“It doesn’t know any better” Thomas, 27, wrote on Twitter. “We don’t care if you disagree and who else cares about that.”

Thomas, who received the Pro Bowl go-ahead in three of his last four seasons with New Orleans, set the NFL record for receptions in 2019 with 149. He averaged 107.8 yards per game.

Saints catcher Emmanuel Sanders also apparently reacted to Brees’ comments, writing On twitter, “Smh … Ignorant”.

Los Angeles Chargers coach Anthony Lynn recently addressed Colin Kaepernick’s kneeling protests in 2016 in a lengthy interview with the Los Angeles Times, alleging that Kaepernick, who has not played in the NFL since that kneeling season, He was protesting criminal justice reform and police brutality, not the flag.

“People misunderstood Colin and what he was trying to do,” said Lynn. “People were talking about disrespecting the flag. . . the flag covers a lot: patriotism and civil rights and whatnot. And Colin was speaking against injustice and many people did not understand that because it happened during the national anthem. They thought he was disrespectful to the flag.

“I was surprised by the number of people who didn’t know why they were protesting. I received letters from people. I had people come up to me and ask, ‘Coach, what are you going to do if someone on your team protests?’ … And once he broke it down, they said, “Oh, we didn’t know that. We thought he was protesting the flag. “And that was the case for many people I met.”

Several prominent NFL players have spoken out after the police murder of George Floyd, a black man from Minneapolis. Players like Joe Burrow, D.K. Metcalf, Richard Sherman and Carson Wentz have expressed their opinions.

After a Blackout Tuesday hashtag was broadcast on social media on Tuesday, where people posted a black screen to reflect on racism and promote minority voices, various athletes, celebrities, companies and sports teams participated. , including Brees.