Tennessee Titans wide receiver AJ Brown was among the many players to speak out against comments made by New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees on Wednesday.
Brees was asked whether he would support players choosing to kneel during the national anthem in protest of police brutality and racial injustice. He responded by saying he would “never” agree with kneeling, saying he viewed it as a disrespect to the country and service members.
Highlight: @readdanwrite asks @drewbrees what the star NFL quarterback thinks about "players kneeling again when the NFL season starts."@drewbrees: “I will never agree with anybody disrespecting the flag of the United States of America or our country.”
Full exchange: pic.twitter.com/MpCkFyOMed
— Yahoo Finance (@YahooFinance) June 3, 2020
Brown responded, as some others did, by saying Brees was “part of the problem” for failing to use his platform to combat racism. He also stated “Wrong is wrong.”
If you don’t speak up about racism, then you’re apart of the problem. This man said the flag … trash
— AJ Brown (@1kalwaysopen_) June 3, 2020
Wrong is wrong. Idc
— AJ Brown (@1kalwaysopen_) June 3, 2020
Brees had stated he felt kneeling was a disrespect to the American flag, a criticism much like those hurled at San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick when he first began kneeling in protest during the 2016 season.
But many of Brees' peers stated the gesture of kneeling is not–and never has been–about the flag or service members. Rather, as Kaepernick once stated, the protest is meant to raise awareness about police brutality and racial injustice.
Kaepernick was essentially shunned by the league and has not played since the 2016 season. However, his name has frequently surfaced in the wake of George Floyd's death last Monday and subsequent protests throughout the country.
Brown said Kaepernick should have a job in the NFL.
For saying that dumb shii , give kapernick his job .
— AJ Brown (@1kalwaysopen_) June 3, 2020
Brees apologized for his comments on Thursday morning, though that apology has received some mixed responses from league personnel.
In spite of Brees' ill-advised comments, many NFL players have made their voices in the past week-plus, taking a stand on racial injustice and calling for change.