Brees has been widely criticized by many other athletes, along with NBA star Lebron James and teammate Michael Thomas.
Asked for his opinion on the players kneeling to protest police brutality after the NFL season started this fall, Brees said he "would never agree with anyone who did not respect the flag" .
"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. "
But in a statement posted to his Instagram account, Brees, 41, said his comments were "insensitive and completely missing the mark on the issues we are facing right now as a country".
"I would like to apologize to my friends, teammates, the city of New Orleans, the black community, the NFL community and everyone I injured with my comments yesterday."
Winner of Super Bowl XLIV in 2010, Brees said that respecting the American national anthem is not only about respecting the military, but also about anyone who has sacrificed for this country, including those in the civil rights movement.
However, after the outcry surrounding his comments, Brees now recognizes that he assumes "full responsibility and accountability".
"They lacked conscience and any kind of compassion or empathy. Instead, these words became divisive and hurtful and misled people into thinking that I was somehow an enemy. This couldn't be further from the truth and does not faithfully reflect my heart or my character, "said Brees.
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