Drew Brees tells Trump NFL protests have never been about the US flag

Brees’ comments come after he initially said Wednesday he would “never agree with anybody disrespecting the flag.” He later issued an apology for his comments saying his comments were “insensitive and completely missed the mark on the issues we are facing right now as a country.”

President Donald Trump then got involved and said Brees should have never backtracked on his comments.

“He should not have taken back his original stance on honoring our magnificent American Flag,” Trump tweeted. “OLD GLORY is to be revered, cherished, and flown high…”

Brees then took to Instagram, saying that “we can no longer use the flag to turn people away or distract them from the real issues that face our black communities.”

“Through my ongoing conversations with friends, teammates, and leaders in the black community, I realize this is not an issue about the American flag. It has never been,” Brees’ post read. “We can no longer use the flag to turn people away or distract them from the real issues that face our black communities.”

These issues, Brees said, included systemic racial injustice, economic oppression, police brutality, and judicial and prison reform.

“We as a white community need to listen and learn from the pain and suffering of our black communities,” Brees wrote. “We must acknowledge the problems, identify the solutions, and then put this into action. The black community cannot do it alone. This will require all of us.”

source: cnn.com