President Trump Declares “No Kneeling” to Brees Over His Apology

Brees responds via Instagram Friday night

By: KATC News
Posted at 8:52 PM, Jun 05, 2020
and last updated 10:35 PM, Jun 05, 2020

Saints quarterback Drew Brees has responded to President Donald Trump’s tweet Friday about Brees’ stance on kneeling during the national anthem.

Brees took to Instagram and tagged @realdonaldtrump in a photo simply reading, “To President Trump.”

After conversations with friends, leaders, and teammates in the black community, Brees said he realized “this is not an issue about the American flag. It has never been. We can no longer use the flag to turn people away or distract them from the real issues that face our black communities.”

“We are at a critical junction in our nation’s history! If not now, then when?”

Brees’ full Instagram post is below:

View this post on Instagram

To @realdonaldtrump 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. We can no longer use the flag to turn people away or distract them from the real issues that face our black communities. We did this back in 2017, and regretfully I brought it back with my comments this week. We must stop talking about the flag and shift our attention to the real issues of systemic racial injustice, economic oppression, police brutality, and judicial & prison reform. We are at a critical juncture in our nation’s history! If not now, then when? We as a white community need to listen and learn from the pain and suffering of our black communities. 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.

A post shared by Drew Brees (@drewbrees) on Jun 5, 2020 at 7:10pm PDT

The President said that he is a big fan of Brees, calling him one of the greatest quarterbacks but stated that “OLD GLORY is to be revered, cherished, and flown high.” He went on to say, “There are other things you can protest, but not our Great American Flag – NO KNEELING!”

Taking a knee to fight white supremacy is an act of patriotism because it is for the love of our country and for the fight for racial justice. I took a knee as an Asian American doctor and paid the price from racist physicians at Vanderbilt who said NO KNEELING just like Trump. pic.twitter.com/nxal1D1Mmv

— Eugene Gu, MD (@eugenegu) June 5, 2020

For once I agree with the president. #NoKneeling pic.twitter.com/mZFkFWngiP

— Joseph Nevin (@JosephGNevin) June 5, 2020

“The 🍊president”….. Don’t know who you’re referring to, because my president is still #44 #BarackObama RT if you agree!

— Kevin Cooper (@KevinCooperBX) June 6, 2020

Can we get @nba to issue an apology to Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf too please https://t.co/VJMGxklQGd

— Spazzberry Beret (@dIforgottenman) June 6, 2020