Los Angeles (AFP)
New Orleans Saints NFL star Drew Brees apologized Thursday after receiving widespread criticism for saying that kneeling on the ground during the American anthem is "disrespectful of the flag ".
"I would like to apologize to my friends, teammates, the city of New Orleans, the black community, the NFL and everyone I hurt with my comments," Wednesday said Brees on Instagram. .
"It breaks my heart to know the pain I caused (...) I made insensitive comments and completely missed the problems we are currently facing," he continued.
Conceding to have "lacked compassion, empathy", Brees, one of the greatest players in NFL history, record holder for the number of yards covered by the pass, had caused an uproar the day before by firmly opposing the gesture protest which consists of kneeling during the national anthem.
"I will never agree with anyone who does not respect the flag of the United States of America or our country. When I look at the flag, I imagine my two grandfathers, who fought for this country during the Second World War, "he said on Yahoo.com.
He had been questioned about the prospect of kneeling reappearing in American football three years after the movement initiated by former quarterback Colin Kaepernick, given the burning context of the death of George Floyd and the racist police violence that plagues the country.
His words drew strong criticism from many American sports stars, including LeBron James, who also expressed their support for Kaepernick, which had sparked controversy in 2016 by launching this protest movement.
This had earned him being called a "motherfucker" by Donald Trump and finding himself without a club at the end of his contract with the San Francisco 49ers. In other words, blacklisted.
"I will never know what it is to be a black man or to raise black children in America, but I will work every day to put myself in their place. I have always been an ally, never an enemy "I am sick of the way my comments were perceived, but I take full responsibility and to be accountable. I am very sorry, I beg your pardon," concluded Brees.
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