New Orleans Saints NFL star Drew Brees apologized Thursday after numerous criticisms received 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," Brees said on Instagram on Wednesday. .
"It breaks my heart to know the pain I caused (...) I made insensitive comments and I completely missed out on the problems we are currently facing," he continued. Conceding to have "lacked compassion, empathy", Brees, one of the greatest players in the history of the NFL, had caused an uproar the day before by firmly opposing the gesture of protest which consists of kneeling during the 'National anthem.
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I would like to apologize to my friends, teammates, the City of New Orleans, the black community, NFL community and anyone I hurt with my comments yesterday. In speaking with some of you, it breaks my heart to know the pain I have caused. In an attempt to talk about respect, unity, and solidarity centered around the American flag and the national anthem, I made comments that were insensitive and completely missed the mark on the issues we are facing right now as a country. They lacked awareness and any type of compassion or empathy. Instead, those words have become divisive and hurtful and have misled people into believing that somehow I am an enemy. This could not be further from the truth, and is not an accurate reflection of my heart or my character. This is where I stand: I stand 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. I condemn the years of oppression that have taken place throughout our black communities and still exists today. I acknowledge 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. I recognize that I am part of the solution and can be a leader for the black community in this movement. I 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 have ALWAYS been an ally, never an enemy. I am sick about the way my comments were perceived yesterday, but I take full responsibility and accountability. 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. For that, I am very sorry and I ask your forgiveness.
A post shared by Drew Brees (@drewbrees) on Jun 4, 2020 at 5:22 am PDT
"I will never agree with anyone who does not respect the flag of the United States of America. 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 . He had been asked about the prospect of kneeling again 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.
"I have always been an ally, never an enemy"
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.
"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 be accountable. I'm really sorry, I beg your pardon, ”concluded Brees.
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