Twitter users think Donald Trump, 73, should be the one apologizing after the POTUS threw shade at Drew Brees‘ attempt to backtrack on his anti-kneeling comments. “I am a big fan of Drew Brees. I think he’s truly one of the greatest quarterbacks, but he 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 tweeted on June 5.
…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!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 5, 2020
“…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!,” Trump continued, condemning the form of peaceful protest that former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick started doing at NFL games in 2016. His remarks were not too far off from Drew’s. Before the quarterback eventually apologized, he said in an interview with Yahoo Finance on June 3, “I will never agree with anybody disrespecting the flag of the United States of America or our country.”
Like Trump, LeBron James pointed out that Drew missed the point of Colin’s protest, which was intended to draw attention to racial injustice. “Has absolute nothing to do with the disrespect of [the American flag] and our soldiers(men and women) who keep our land free,” LeBron tweeted in response to Drew’s interview (below). After Trump chimed in with his own anti-kneeling comments, it was the turn for others to shut down the president on Twitter.
“As usual you are missing the point,” soap star Eileen Davidson responded to Trump, while former Trump supporter David Weissman wrote, “Kneeling for the flag is a free speech. I as a veteran support @Kaepernick7‘s right to kneel for the flag. When I was a supporter of yours, much like @drewbrees I originally condemned their protest but that’s not how free speech works. You support everyone’s right to free speech.”
Even the NFL commissioner, Roger Goodell, admitted the league was “wrong” for having the same mindset the president does towards kneeling. “We, the National Football League, condemn racism and the systematic oppression of black people,” the commissioner said in a video released on June 5. “We, the National Football League, admit we were wrong for not listening to NFL players earlier and encourage all players to speak out and peacefully protest. We, the National Football League, believe that black lives matter.”
WOW MAN!! 🤦🏾♂️. Is it still surprising at this point. Sure isn’t! You literally still don’t understand why Kap was kneeling on one knee?? Has absolute nothing to do with the disrespect of 🇺🇸 and our soldiers(men and women) who keep our land free. My father-in-law was one of those https://t.co/pvUWPmh4s8
— LeBron James (@KingJames) June 3, 2020
While Trump may not take a knee, leaders of our neighboring countries are doing it. Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau knelt on the ground alongside Black Lives Matter protestors at Parliament Hill in Ontario on June 5, which would’ve been Breonna Taylor’s 27th birthday. Like George Floyd, Breonna is another Black person whom people are demanding justice for after police officers in Louisville, Kentucky broke into the EMT’s home on a “no-knock” search warrant and shot the medical worker eight times. Her family filed a wrongful death lawsuit, and the FBI opened an investigation on May 21.
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Drew also acknowledged that he “completely missed the mark on the issues we are facing right now as a country,” after calling out fellow football players for kneeling. “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,” he admitted in a written apology, shared on June 4. The pro athlete added that he stands “with the black community in the fight against systemic racial injustice and police brutality,” and elaborated on his remorse over his words in a filmed apology.