Vikings' Jaleel Johnson Among Players to Slam Drew Brees For Anthem Comments
Saints quarterback Drew Brees stirred up a social media frenzy on Wednesday with his tone deaf comments regarding protests during the national anthem.
"I will never agree with anybody disrespecting the flag of the United States of America or our country," Brees told Yahoo Finance.
The topic of peaceful protests during the anthem – made famous by players like Colin Kaepernick and Eric Reid, but utilized by many different teams in 2016 – has resurfaced recently. The killing of Minneapolis man George Floyd by police officers last week sparked protests around the country and has driven a conversation on racial inequality, police brutality, and protests since then.
The issue with Brees's comments is that he is only thinking about his own experience and what the anthem means to him, and hasn't given any thought to how players of color might not feel the same way.
"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," Brees said. "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."
The response to his remarks was swift and strong. As many pointed out, Black people also have grandfathers who fought in those wars, but then returned to a country that didn't treat them with respect or gratitude. Racial inequality in the United States has remained an issue for decades upon decades since then; the recent deaths of Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery make that clear, as do statistics regarding education and employment opportunities, housing polices, and more.
Also, the protests by Kaepernick, Reid, and others were never about the flag. They were about taking a peaceful stand against police brutality in a way that would clearly be visible. The men and women who fought for this country overseas fought for those players' rights to have free speech and stand up for injustice.
Athletes from the NFL, NBA, and other sports weighed in on Brees's comments, as did other prominent celebrities. Even his Saints teammates Michael Thomas, Malcolm Jenkins, Alvin Kamara, and Emmanuel Sanders were critical.
Vikings defensive tackle Jaleel Johnson was among the many athletes to respond.
"Damn. Hate to see it from a 'legend' @drewbrees you corny man," Johnson tweeted. "You clearly have no idea what’s going on."
Former Vikings receiver and Hall of Famer Cris Carter was also supportive of the comments made by Thomas and Jenkins.
Brees clearly missed the mark. Hopefully the overwhelming response from so many people, including his teammates, will lead him to think critically about why it's important to consider other perspectives than just his own.
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