New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees caused a stir on Wednesday when he said that he would “never agree with anybody disrespecting the flag.” Brees was speaking in reference to athletes kneeling during the national anthem.

Not surprisingly, Brees' comments have drawn significant backlash, ranging from his own teammate Michael Thomas to Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James.

Most recently, San Francisco 49ers cornerback Richard Sherman took to Twitter to address Brees' remarks:

While Brees said that he loves and respects his teammates and that he will “stand right there with them in regards to fighting for racial equality and justice,” he also feels that the American flag should not be taken lightly, per Mike Triplett of ESPN:

“I also stand with my grandfathers who risked their lives for this country and countless other military men and women who do it on a daily basis.”

Back in 2016 when then-49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick decided to kneel during the anthem before NFL games, Brees said he supported Kaepernick's fight against racial injustice, but disagreed with his method in doing so:

“I believe we should all stand for the national anthem and respect our country and all those who sacrificed so much for our freedoms … That includes all those who marched for women's suffrage in the 1920s and all those who marched in the civil rights movements and continue to march for racial equality. All of us … EVERYONE … represent that flag. Same way I respect all the citizens of our country … no matter their race, color, religion.”

Brees went on to say that his actions “speak for themselves,” as the 41-year-old's charitable work throughout his 19-year NFL career has been well documented. But, as Sherman said, Brees has also conflated a form of protest about police brutality into a conversation about the anthem that has nothing to do with Kaepernick's original intent.