Drew Brees is causing a wave of outrage with his statements about the anthem protests in the NFL. He then apologizes with a big statement.

Aaron Rodgers, Richard Sherman, LeBron James and even team members like Michael Thomas and Malcolm Jenkins have reacted with incomprehension to Drew Brees’ statements about the anthem protests.

Now the Saints quarterback has come forward again and written a detailed apology.

View this post on Instagram

I would like to apologize to my friends, teammates, the City of New Orleans, the black community, NFL community and anyone I hurt with my comments yesterday. In speaking with some of you, it breaks my heart to know the pain I have caused. In an attempt to talk about respect, unity, and solidarity centered around the American flag and the national anthem, I made comments that were insensitive and completely missed the mark on the issues we are facing right now as a country. They lacked awareness and any type of compassion or empathy. Instead, those words have become divisive and hurtful and have misled people into believing that somehow I am an enemy. This could not be further from the truth, and is not an accurate reflection of my heart or my character. This is where I stand: I stand with the black community in the fight against systemic racial injustice and police brutality and support the creation of real policy change that will make a difference. I condemn the years of oppression that have taken place throughout our black communities and still exists today. I acknowledge that we as Americans, including myself, have not done enough to fight for that equality or to truly understand the struggles and plight of the black community. I recognize that I am part of the solution and can be a leader for the black community in this movement. I will never know what it’s like to be a black man or raise black children in America but I will work every day to put myself in those shoes and fight for what is right. I have ALWAYS been an ally, never an enemy. I am sick about the way my comments were perceived yesterday, but I take full responsibility and accountability. I recognize that I should do less talking and more listening…and when the black community is talking about their pain, we all need to listen. For that, I am very sorry and I ask your forgiveness.

A post shared by Drew Brees (@drewbrees) on Jun 4, 2020 at 5:22am PDT

“I want to apologize to my friends, teammates, the city of New Orleans, the black community, the NFL community, and everyone I hurt with my statements yesterday. By talking to some of you, it breaks my heart to know the pain I caused,” the 41-year-old said on Instagram.

He tried to talk about respect, unity and solidarity with a focus on the American flag and national anthem, but insensitively ignored the central issues that currently preoccupy the country.

His words lacked compassion and empathy and were instead divisive and hurtful. “I have somehow led people to believe that I am the enemy. This could not be further from the truth and does not reflect my character and heart.”

Brees’ “true position” in the debate
Brees also makes several points to show his “true position” in the debate:

“I stand behind the black community in the fight against systematic injustice and police brutality and support bringing about police change that makes a difference.

I condemn the years of oppression that took place in the black community and still exist today.

I recognize that we Americans, myself included, have not fought enough for equality and have not fully understood the difficulties of the black community.

I recognize that I am part of the solution and can be a leader of the black community in this movement.

I will never know what it feels like to be a black man or raise a black child in America. I will work every day to put myself in that position and fight for what is right.

I have ALWAYS been an ally, never an enemy.

It makes me sick to see how my statements were received yesterday, but take full responsibility. I should talk less and listen more… and when the black community talks about their pain, we all have to listen.

For that, I am truly sorry and I ask for forgiveness.”