It didn’t take long for Drew Brees to issue a public apology for his comments about NFL players kneeling during the national anthem. The New Orleans Saints quarterback published a lengthy social media post Thursday, asking for forgiveness.

“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,” Brees wrote. “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.”

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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

When asked about the protests that were started by Colin Kaepernick in 2016 Wednesday morning, Brees told Yahoo Finance that he would never agree with anyone disrespecting the flag. The quarterback received immediate backlash from prominent professional athletes, from LeBron James to some of his teammates with the Saints.

The harshest comments might have come from former NBA player Stephen Jackson, who was close friends with George Floyd.

“As intelligent as Drew Brees is, how is he still that naive?” Jackson said on CNN Thursday. “All that’s going on, all the protests, and you still don’t understand why [Colin] Kaepernick kneeled? It has nothing to do with the flag! Drew Brees is an intelligent guy. But he looked real retarded by saying that. The time is sensitive, okay? You can’t say that right now.”

Brees’ apology has received mixed reactions on social media.

Drew Brees Saints Eagles
Drew Brees #9 of the New Orleans Saints throws the ball for a touchdown during the first half against the Philadelphia Eagles at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on November 18, 2018 in New Orleans, Louisiana. Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images