Brees said respecting the anthem is not only about showing respect to the military, but also to anyone who has sacrificed for this country, including those in the civil rights movement.
"And is everything all right with our country right now? No, it isn't," Brees said in the interview. "We still have a long way to go. But I think what you are doing by standing there and showing respect for the flag with your hand on your heart is that it shows unity. It shows that we are all in the same boat, we can all do better, and that we are all part of the solution. "
Shortly after the interview was published, NBA superstar LeBron James called the quarterback.
"You still don't understand why Kap was kneeling on one knee ??" James said in a tweet, referring to Colin Kaepernick. "Has absolutely nothing to do with disrespect for (the flag of the United States) and our soldiers."
James then discussed his own stepfather who was in the military, saying that he never found Kaepernick - who knelt famous during the national anthem to protest police brutality - disrespectful, "because that he and I both know what is right and what is wrong! "
Later, Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers spoke - although he made no reference to Brees or his comments in particular.
Black players make up about 70% of the NFL. In 2018, the NFL adopted a policy to fine players for kneeling during the anthem, which was done to protest police brutality and racial injustice in the United States. The punishment associated with the policy was then removed, although the policy itself has always remained.
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