Sports World Reacts to Drew Brees's Comments on NFL Players Kneeling in 2020

NBA star LeBron James was just one of many athletes from around the sports world who weighed in on Drew Brees's comments on kneeling.

NBA star LeBron James was one of many athletes from around the sports world who weighed in on Drew Brees's comments to Yahoo Finance on Wednesday.

Brees said he would "never agree with anybody disrespecting" the United States flag in an interview with Daniel Roberts. 

In a series of tweets, James said, in part, that, "Is it still surprising at this point. Sure isn’t! You literally still don’t understand why Kap was kneeling on one knee?? Has absolute nothing to do with the disrespect of and our soldiers(men and women) who keep our land free."

WOW MAN!! 🤦🏾‍♂️. Is it still surprising at this point. Sure isn’t! You literally still don’t understand why Kap was kneeling on one knee?? Has absolute nothing to do with the disrespect of 🇺🇸 and our soldiers(men and women) who keep our land free. My father-in-law was one of those https://t.co/pvUWPmh4s8

— LeBron James (@KingJames) June 3, 2020

men who fought as well for this country. I asked him question about it and thank him all the time for his commitement. He never found Kap peaceful protest offensive because he and I both know what’s right is right and what’s wrong is wrong! God bless you. 🙏🏾✊🏾👑

— LeBron James (@KingJames) June 3, 2020

Earlier in the day, when Brees was asked about the prospect of NFL players kneeling next year, he said, in part, per Yahoo Finance: 

"I will never agree with anybody disrespecting the flag of the United States of America or our country. Let me just tell what I see or what I feel when the national anthem is played and when I look at the flag of the United States. I envision my two grandfathers, who fought for this country during World War II, one in the Army and one in the Marine Corp. 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 ...

"... 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.”

The Saints QB's comments come amid ongoing protests in the United States related to police brutality and racial injustice. 

A number of Brees's teammates appeared to weigh in on the QB's remarks.

He don’t know no better.

— Michael Thomas (@Cantguardmike) June 3, 2020

Smh.. Ignorant

— Emmanuel Sanders (@ESanders_10) June 3, 2020

oop...

— Alvin Kamara (@A_kamara6) June 3, 2020

Other players from around the NFL commented as well.

Dammit Drew...

— Jamal Adams (@Prez) June 3, 2020

This is a disgrace! To speak about your grandfathers as if there weren’t black men fighting next to them.Those men later returned to a country that hated them. Don’t avoid the issue and try to make it about a flag or the military. Fight like your grandfathers for whats right! https://t.co/qag3Igic3V

— Devin&Jason McCourty (@McCourtyTwins) June 3, 2020

🤦🏽‍♂️.... This ain’t it https://t.co/XOew9MW6gu

— Josh Jacobs (@iAM_JoshJacobs) June 3, 2020

Always knew who he was! Every time y’all came at me and said I couldn’t come home because I didn’t think he was Jesus. Oh well! Keep cheering

— Ryan Clark (@Realrclark25) June 3, 2020

Listen to some of them, they will never change. Yet most black folk I know have submitted to their standard of living or way I should say only to have our perspective or due limited by the same old fashion standards or Ideals. It’s us waking up everyday getting slapped over&Over

— Tyrann Mathieu (@Mathieu_Era) June 3, 2020

Damn drew hurt me with that one🤦🏾‍♂️!!

— Darius Slay (@bigplay24slay) June 3, 2020

How can you be in the locker rooms, speaking to the players, know the reasoning, and yet still be dumb enough to believe it’s about the flag. Like HOW???? He should know better than that. He just doesn’t care. Damn man not Drew...

— Billy (@snacks) June 3, 2020

@drewbrees SMH. You represent New Orleans Louisiana. Don’t ever forget that! #Bottomofthemap

— Tyrann Mathieu (@Mathieu_Era) June 3, 2020

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A post shared by Aaron Rodgers (@aaronrodgers12)

pic.twitter.com/kJIEFCoUrN

— Marques Colston (@MarquesColston) June 3, 2020

Warning: Video contains explicit language:

He’s beyond lost. Guarantee you there were black men fighting along side your grandfather but this doesn’t seem to be about that. That uncomfortable conversation you are trying to avoid by injecting military into a conversation about brutality and equality is part of the problem https://t.co/ON81UsOWPw pic.twitter.com/HH3EVTIH8p

— Richard Sherman (@RSherman_25) June 3, 2020

Athletes across all sports voiced their opinions too.

Never was about disrespecting the armed forces. It’s about police brutality and racial injustices in our country. This country can’t be unified if African Americans are unjustly killed in the street because of the color of their skin https://t.co/BzRZgkOYnU

— Josh Hart (@joshhart) June 3, 2020

Drew Brees believes Colin disrespected the Flag, @KillerMike disagrees!! @jalenandjacoby pic.twitter.com/m7m74oamRP

— Jalen Rose (@JalenRose) June 3, 2020

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A post shared by Stephen Jackson (@_stak5_)

Former 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick notably knelt during the national anthem as a means of protesting racism and police brutality during the 2016 NFL season. He last played in the NFL that year.

Kaepernick later filed a grievance against the NFL, arguing that he was effectively blackballed from the league because of his views. The league denied the charge, and the grievance was eventually settled.

Last Friday, Kaepernick's charitable arm, the Know Your Rights Camp, launched an initiative to hire top defense lawyers for people arrested protesting police brutality in the Minneapolis area.