Drew Brees once knelt during the national anthem, now finds it 'disrespectful' to US flag

New Orleans Saints star Drew Brees has come under the microscope for his comments over disrespecting the US national flag and national anthem this week. There was once a time when fans saw Drew Brees kneeling at a game during the national anthem but it appears that the Super Bowl-winning quarterback has changed his views. The latest Drew Brees comments have infuriated the African-American community in the sporting world, especially after the 'Black Lives Matter' and 'Blackout Tuesday' campaign.

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Drew Brees kneeling issue: Drew Brees comments on Colin Kaepernick 

Earlier last week, George Floyd, an unarmed African-American tragically lost his life after being choked to death by a police officer in Minneapolis with a knee on his neck. The death of George Floyd sparked an uproar in the sporting world against the injustice and police brutality towards the African-American community. The Black Lives Matter movement also drew attention to Colin Kaepernick's kneeling protest which took place in 2016.

According to reports from ESPN, some NFL stars have pledged to kneel during the national anthem once again to spread awareness regarding the Black Lives Matter campaign when the season resumes. Amid the current George Floyd protests in America, Drew Brees was asked about his opinion on kneeling during the national anthem in the future. However, the Drew Brees comment on Colin Kaepernick earned the Saints star plenty of criticism. 

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On Wednesday, Brees spoke to Yahoo Finance editor Daniel Roberts and revealed that he would 'never agree with anyone disrespecting the American national anthem'. Having spoken about the national anthem, Brees then claimed that his forefathers fought during World War II and risked their lives to protect the citizens of America. Brees concluded by stating that everything is still not right in the country at the moment but there is a long way to go. However, showing respect to the flag and standing together in unity would be the correct manner to go about change.

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Drew Brees kneeling issue: Drew Brees once knelt during the national anthem

Despite the current Drew Brees national anthem claims, the quarterback once displayed his support towards Kaepernick's protest by kneeling. However, the Drew Brees kneeling comments have accumulated plenty of hate from sporting icons across the globe during a time of civil unrest in America. Brees was accused of suppressing the movement of the African-American community.

In an interview with ESPN, Brees revealed that he is not against any of the protests for George Floyd but claimed that he would stick to his comments regarding the US national anthem and the flag. The 41-year-old explained that he still loves his teammates and would stand by them in fighting against racism and inequality but would also stand with his grandfathers that battled in the war. Brees has been part of the NFL for 19 years and his comments appeared to hurt some members of the African-American community that were joining hands for the Black Lives Matter campaign.

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Drew Brees national anthem comments backlash

The Drew Brees national anthem claim led to a bashing for the NFL icon, who was also targeted by his own teammates. Saints star Michael Thomas posted a number of tweets slamming the comments made by Brees as, Alvin Kamara, Malcolm Jenkins and Emmanuel Sanders also took to Twitter to express their disappointment over their New Orleans Saints teammate. The bashing for Drew Brees didn't stop there as a number of former NFL stars including Ed Reed called out Brees for misinterpreting the kneeling during national anthems. NBA stars including Lakers' LeBron James explained that Brees still hasn't understood the kneeling movement and Portland Trail Blazers star CJ Mccollum revealed that he would prefer more of Aaron Rogers and less of Drew Brees.