Brees Makes Statement 'to President Trump'

Drew Brees and President Trump locked horns online Friday over the issue of NFL players who take a knee to protest police brutality, USA Today reports. With Brees apologizing—not once, but twice—for saying those who take a knee disrespect the US flag, Trump criticized Brees on Twitter and the New Orleans Saints quarterback responded with an Instagram post titled "To President Trump." Here are the posts:

• Trump: "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... 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!"
• Brees: "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. We can no longer use the flag to turn people away or distract them from the real issues that face our black communities," Brees writes in part. "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?"

(More Drew Brees stories.)