LeBron James has slammed Drew Brees after the New Orleans Saints quarterback claimed he would ‘never agree with anybody disrespecting the flag of the United States of America’.
The death of George Floyd has sparked angry protests and civil unrest throughout America over the course of the past week. Floyd died after a white police officer, who was subsequently charged with murder, was filmed kneeling on his neck, leaving him gasping for air.
Asked in an interview with Yahoo whether he thought there may be a rise in players kneeling during the anthem in a show of solidarity, Brees, a former Super Bowl winner, said: ‘I will never agree with anybody disrespecting the flag of the United States of America.
‘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 two, one in the Army and one in the Marine Corps. Both risking their lives to protect our country and to try to make our country and this world a better place.
ESPN approached the former San Diego Chargers star and offered him the opportunity to clarify his comments, but Brees stood by his previous stance.
He said: ‘I love and respect my team-mates and I stand right there with them in regards to fighting for racial equality and justice.
‘I also stand with my grandfathers who risked their lives for this country and countless other military men and women who do it on a daily basis.’
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