Trump targets Drew Brees for retracting his words against kneeling to US national anthem

United States President Donald Trump has expressed his displeasure over the New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees' apology and withdrawal of his comments on kneeling down to the US national anthem. Trump said he is a big fan of Drew Brees but "he should not have taken back his original stance". 

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Trump's reaction comes in response to Drew Brees apologising over his comments against kneeling down to the national anthem as a mark of protest against police brutality. The first apology was issued on Thursday morning, the second one followed the same day on the social media platform Instagram. He explained that although his words caused plenty of pain, he had "no intention of hurting anyone in a bid to talk about respect to the national anthem". "I will try to be part of the solution from now onwards and I will fight for what is right," concluded Brees in the video he posted on Instagram.

In his lengthy Instagram post, Drew Brees said, " In an attempt to talk about respect, unity and solidarity centred 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."

The two-time NFL offensive player of the year was asked to give his opinion on whether he agreed with Colin Kaepernick's kneeling display during the 2016-17 NFL season as a mark of protest against the mounting cases of police brutality. Drew Brees immediately responded by saying, “I will never agree with anybody disrespecting the flag of the United States of America or our country” which ultimately led to the criticism. A host of celebrities and even Brees' teammates criticised the timing of his comments and the insensitive nature of his words with the 'Black Lives Matter' movement gaining momentum across the country.

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