Drew Brees under fire for disagreeing with players that kneel during the national anthem
Seen and Unseen: Fox News contributor Raymond Arroyo reveals the stories behind the headlines.
Drew Brees’ stance against kneeling during the national anthem reverberated through sports and carried over to the protests through New Orleans on Wednesday night.
Demonstrators in New Orleans who were marching in memory of George Floyd – the Minneapolis man who died in police custody May 25 after an officer kneeled on his neck for more than 8 minutes in a moment caught on camera – and against police brutality briefly chanted against the Saints quarterback, according to The Advocate.
MALCOLM JENKINS RESPONDS TO DREW BREES: 'YOU'RE A PART OF THE PROBLEM'
The protesters chanted briefly, “F—k Drew Brees.”
WARNING EXPLICIT LANGUAGE
Brees’ remarks to Yahoo Finance and ESPN about kneeling during the national anthem kicked off a firestorm around the sports world.
He told Yahoo Finance he would never agree with the gesture of kneeling during the national anthem.
“I will never agree with anybody disrespecting the flag of the United States of America or our country. Let me just tell you what I see or what I feel when the national anthem is played and when I look at the flag of the United States,” the 41-year-old quarterback told the outlet.
BEARS' AKIEM HICKS SAYS COLIN KAEPERNICK'S CAREER ENDED BECAUSE OF KNEELING
Brees likened standing for the national anthem to saluting the military.
“I envision my two grandfathers, who fought for this country during World War II, one in the Army and one in the Marine Corps. Both risking their lives to protect our country and to try to make our country and this world a better place. So every time I stand with my hand over my heart looking at that flag and singing the national anthem, that’s what I think about," he said.
“And in many cases, that brings me to tears, thinking about all that has been sacrificed. Not just those in the military, but for that matter, those throughout the civil rights movements of the ‘60s, and all that has been endured by so many people up until this point. And is everything right with our country right now? No, it is not. We still have a long way to go. But I think what you do by standing there and showing respect to the flag with your hand over your heart, is it shows unity. It shows that we are all in this together, we can all do better and that we are all part of the solution.”
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM
Brees reiterated his stance later to ESPN saying that he also respects his teammates and their fight for "racial equality and justice."
"I believe we should all stand for the national anthem and respect our country and all those who sacrificed so much for our freedoms," Brees told ESPN via text. "That includes all those who marched for women's suffrage in the 1920s and all those who marched in the civil rights movements and continue to march for racial equality. All of us ... EVERYONE ... represent that flag. Same way I respect all the citizens of our country ... no matter their race, color, religion.
"And I would ask anyone who has a problem with what I said to look at the way I live my life," Brees added. "Do I come across as someone who is not doing my absolute best to make this world a better place, to bring justice and equality to others, and hope & opportunity to those who don't have it? That's what I meant by actions speak louder than words. ... My ACTIONS speak for themselves."
Brees didn’t say what form of protest he felt was appropriate.
Receive your weekly recap of all the happenings around the world of sports.