Disappointed LeBron James Rips NFL Star For INSENSITIVE Comment About Protests
Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James has never been afraid to speak out against someone, especially when it comes to issues of racism and racial injustice. On Wednesday, New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees saw and experienced that firsthand.
In 2016, Colin Kaepernick got blackballed by the league for his political stance after taking a knee during the national anthem. His move was a sign of protest against President Donald Trump and the U.S. government amid the rampant systematic racism and police brutality during the same year.
After Kaepernick's silent protests, members of various NFL teams engaged on the same rally.
Taking the knee is an act being done by some players since 2016. However, some people see it as unpatriotic and disrespectful from that year until now -- including Brees.
During Brees' recent interview with Yahoo!, the Saints quarterback brought back the topic and clarified that he's against Kaepernick's method to deliver his message to the government.
"I will never agree with anybody disrespecting the flag of the United States of America or our country," the 41-year-old athlete said. "Let me just tell what I see or what I feel when the national anthem is played, and when I look at the flag of the United States."
He also mentioned that his two grandfathers in the Army and the Marine Corp. fought for the country during World War II. He recalled how they risked their lives to protect the U.S., so he could not just allow someone to disrespect the country and the flag.
Though Brees had an emotional recollection, people said that it was somehow unreasonable since Kaepernick previously made it clear that his issue was solely about the government and not the military.
In fact, the civil rights activist originally sat during the national anthem, but he switched it into kneeling after he talked with Nate Boyer.
"But I think what you do by standing there and showing respect to the flag with your hand over your heart, is it shows unity. It shows that we are all in this together, we can all do better and that we are all part of the solution," Brees proudly continued.
In the end, Brees' statement drew backlash from different athletes, including LeBron.
The NBA player took his opinion on Twitter and said, "WOW MAN!! [facepalm emoji] Is it still surprising at this point. Sure isn't! You literally still don't understand why Kap was kneeling on one knee??"
King James exclaimed that what Kaepernick did had nothing to do with the disrespect of the flag and the soldiers.
He then revealed that he did what Brees said and asked his father-in-law, who also fought for the country, about his opinion regarding Kaepernick's protest. Far from what the NFL star believes, LeBron's father-in-law said that he never found Kap's peaceful protest as something offensive.
Although it happened some time ago, Kaepernick's protest became an inspiration after African American citizen George Floyd died when a police officer pressed his knee onto his neck during an arrest.
LeBron also showed his protest showing a picture of the officer kneeling on Floyd alongside a photo of Kaepernick kneeling during the national anthem at a game.
"Do you understand NOW!!??!!?? Or is it still blurred to you?? #StayWoke," LeBron captioned the post.
