New Orleans Saints players react to Drew Brees statement on kneeling

The New Orleans Saints’ quarterback Drew Brees blew up Twitter this past week by reiterating his stance on kneeling and the American flag.

Drew Brees stated to Yahoo on Wednesday that he “would never agree with anybody disrespecting the flag of the United States of America or our country,” and it was received with mixed emotions across the country.

Long-time friend of Drew Brees and newly-acquired Saints safety Malcolm Jenkins had this to say in response to Drew Brees.

Those comments from Malcolm Jenkins were amongst the most powerful and emotional comments which are, of course, receiving the most spotlight, but some players accepted the apology of Drew Brees and responded with the following:

NFL Offensive Player of the Year Michael Thomas responded on Twitter after initially putting out a statement on Brees’ comments.

First-team All-Pro and defensive captain Demario Davis also stated: “For him to admit that he was wrong, I think that’s leadership at it’s finest.”

Three-time Pro Bowl running back Alvin Kamara stated:

Legendary Saints wide receiver gave one of the best takes when he stated: “I know Drew Brees. Drew is a good person. Until you have gotten to walk beside him, his wife, and family, you definitely have to give him a pass on this one and allow Drew a chance to think about what he said and come back and make this right. I know he will.”

That said, Brees’ comments have seemingly created a rift in the organization, one that could be at least partially healed by the time training camp comes around. Payton noted earlier this offseason that due to COVID-19 the team won’t have organized offseason training.

While Brees did post several apologies, he never walked back his statements on the flag, one he’s had since at least 2016. It’ll be interesting to see if he’s still accepted in the locker room. For Brees, it likely won’t be about just being accepted but being respected as the team’s leader.

After apologizing for his insensitive comments, Donald Trump chimed in on the matter saying Brees shouldn’t have apologized. Being the stand-up man he is, Brees needed to clarify. He needed people to see his side and how he feels.