George Floyd death: LeBron James, NFL players rip Drew Brees after anthem kneeling comments
- The Super Bowl winning quarterback has received widespread criticism for his comments about kneeling during the US national anthem at NFL games
- The death of George Floyd has sparked nationwide protests and riots in the US and reignited a heated debate about race relations in America
NBA superstar LeBron James and even New Orleans Saints teammates Malcolm Jenkins, Michael Thomas and Cameron Jordan took aim at Drew Brees on Wednesday after the quarterback reiterated his objection to those who kneel during the national anthem.
And they weren’t alone, as new Saints wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders, San Francisco 49ers cornerback Richard Sherman and many more bashed the quarterback over social media. Even Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers seemed to join the fray.
In an interview posted to Twitter, Brees told Yahoo Finance that he “will never agree with anybody disrespecting the flag of the United States of America or our country.” Brees had been asked about his responsibility moving forward as somebody who is viewed around the league as a leader.
Brees’ public comments were his first following the death of George Floyd, who died in police custody in Minneapolis on May 25.
Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, who is white, was arrested last week and charged with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. A second-degree murder charge against him was added on Wednesday. He had pressed his knee on the neck of Floyd, a black man, for more than eight minutes.