Julius Peppers Responds to Drew Brees' Kneeling Comments
For those who are unaware, Saints quarterback Drew Brees made this statement to ESPN in 2017 when he was asked about Colin Kaepernick's protest:
"I disagree. I wholeheartedly disagree," Brees told ESPN. "Not that he wants to speak out about a very important issue. No, he can speak out about a very important issue. But there's plenty of other ways that you can do that in a peaceful manner that doesn't involve being disrespectful to the American flag.
In an interview with Yahoo Sports, Saints quarterback Drew Brees felt the need to reiterate his previous claim on kneeling during the national anthem. After the police killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and many other Black Americans have been the subject of worldwide protests, the Saints quarterback doubled down on his statement against Kaepernick's peaceful protest. When he was asked about players kneeling in the 2020 season, this was (part of) what he had to say:
"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.”
As expected, the backlash to Brees' comments has been widespread. Julius Peppers also gave his thoughts on the comments on Twitter:
Peppers was one of many big names in the sports world who have commented on what Brees had to say. The future Hall-of-Famer has been vocal as a leader in the community for a while. His Twitter account can confirm that.
This isn't about a petty division rivalry, even though it was fun for Panthers fans to watch Peppers sack Drew Brees on Sundays before his retirement. It's about fundamental differences in the methods in which athletes should protest social injustice. This is a conversation that will likely continue for years to come.
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