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          Drew Brees stands by apology over flag comments in response to President Trump

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          Brees offers apology (0:56)

          Drew Brees posts an apology video on Instagram following backlash to his comments on kneeling during the national anthem. (0:56)

          • ESPN
          Jun 5, 2020, 10:39 PM ET

          In a message addressed to President Donald Trump on Friday night, Drew Brees stood by his apology for earlier comments on "disrespecting the flag," after Trump wrote that the New Orleans Saints quarterback should not have changed his stance.

          Brees was following up on his pledge to be an "ally" for the black community in the fight for racial equality and social justice.

          "Through my ongoing conversations with friends, teammates, and leaders in the black community, I realize this is not an issue about the American flag. It has never been," Brees wrote on Instagram. "We can no longer use the flag to turn people away or distract them from the real issues that face our black communities.

          "We did this back in 2017, and regretfully I brought it back with my comments this week. We must stop talking about the flag and shift our attention to the real issues of systemic racial injustice, economic oppression, police brutality, and judicial & prison reform. We are at a critical juncture in our nation's history! If not now, then when?

          "We as a white community need to listen and learn from the pain and suffering of our black communities. We must acknowledge the problems, identify the solutions, and then put this into action. The black community cannot do it alone. This will require all of us."

          Brees' statement came about six hours after Trump said Brees "should not have taken back his original stance on honoring our magnificent American Flag."

          "OLD GLORY is to be revered, cherished, and flown high," Trump wrote in a pair of tweets. "We should be standing up straight and tall, ideally with a salute, or a hand on heart. There are other things you can protest, but not our Great American Flag - NO KNEELING!"

          A number of Brees' teammates sent tweets of support following the quarterback's response.

          Safety Malcolm Jenkins also said in an Instagram story: "Drew, as much as your comments hurt me and many other people, I appreciate you for listening, because being heard is a big part of it."

          Brees' wife, Brittany, shared the same apologetic sentiment as her husband in a lengthy post to the Instagram page of the family's charity, the Brees Dream Foundation, on Saturday.

          "We want to do better, we want to HEAR you, and we will fight for you because thinking we are not part of the problem ... means we are not doing enough," Brittany Brees said in the post. "It's our job to educate ourselves. We are sorry."

          View this post on Instagram

          WE ARE THE PROBLEM . I write this with tears in my eyes and I hope you all hear our hearts. I have read these quotes and scripture 1000 times and every time I read it and the words sink into my heart. I think yes this is what it's all about...Only until the last few days ,until we experienced the death threats we experienced the hate... Did I realize that these words were speaking directly to us.. how could anyone who knows us or has had interactions with us think that Drew or I have a racist bone in our body? But that's the whole point . Somehow we as white America, we can feel good about not being racist, feel good about loving one an another as God loves us. We can feel good about educating our children about the horrors of slavery and history. We can read books to our children about Martin Luther King, Malcolm X., Hank Aaron, Barack Obama, Rosa parks, Harriet Tubman.. and feel like we are doing our part to raise our children to love , be unbiased and with no prejudice. To teach them about all of the African Americans that have fought for and risked their lives against racial injustice. Somehow as white Americans we feel like that checks the box of doing the right thing. Not until this week did Drew and I realize THAT THIS IS THE PROBLEM. To say "I don't agree with disrespecting the flag ".. I now understand was also saying I don't understand what the problem really is, I don't understand what you're fighting for, and I'm not willing to hear you because of our preconceived notion's of what that flag means to us. That's the problem we are not listening, white America is not hearing. We're not actively LOOKING for racial prejudice. We have heard stories from men and women we have known and loved for years about the racism that occurred in their lives .. stories that were never shared or talked about because somehow they were considered normal. To all of our friends and anyone we hurt ...we will do better.. We want to do better , we want to HEAR you, and we will fight for you because thinking we are not part of the problem...is checking the box it means we are are not doing enough. It's our job to educate ourselves. We are sorry 🙏🏻 -Brittany Brees

          A post shared by Brees Dream Foundation (@breesdreamfoundation) on

          Drew Brees rekindled the issue earlier this week amid the national unrest over the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, for which one police officer has been charged with second-degree murder. Three others have been charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder.

          Asked what he would think if players kneeled this season to protest the death of Floyd and others at the hands of police, Brees told Yahoo Finance: "I will never agree with anybody disrespecting the flag."

          Brees' reference of the flag, rather than the death of Floyd or the anguish of black people around the country, drew heated backlash from dozens of players across multiple sports. He made two public apologies on social media Thursday and also apologized to teammates both privately and during an hourlong virtual team meeting, according to sources. Among other things, he wrote, "I recognize that I am part of the solution and can be a leader for the black community in this movement."

          Some of Brees' teammates publicly embraced his apology, crediting him for admitting how badly he missed the mark and trying to learn from it. Even teammates who remained hurt and angered by Brees' comments expressed confidence that he will "do everything in his power to make things right."

          His latest statement in defense of players' protests came on the heels of NFL commissioner Roger Goodell's message Friday in which he admitted that the league has erred in how it has dealt with players' feelings toward police brutality, social inequalities and systemic racism over the past few years.