On Friday, President Donald Trump came to Drew Brees' defense on Twitter. Yuri Gripas/Abaca/Sipa USA

President Trump defends Drew Brees over national anthem protests

By Zac Wassink | Last updated 6/5/20

Following the death of George Floyd, New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees attracted criticism and scorn from around the sports world after he spoke out against NFL players potentially kneeling during the national anthem.

"I will never agree with anybody disrespecting the flag of the United States of America or our country," Brees said during an interview with Yahoo Finance made public on Wednesday.

New Orleans teammate Michael Thomas, Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James, San Francisco 49ers cornerback Richard Sherman and Washington running back Adrian Peterson were among the well-known individuals who condemned Brees' comments.

Adrian Peterson (@AdrianPeterson) on @drewbrees: “I know Drew Brees. He’s not a racist at all and I have a lot of love for him but I think It was a situation where he should have thought it out more.” pic.twitter.com/oA61B4CUQ1
— Mark Berman (@MarkBermanFox26) June 5, 2020

On Friday, President Donald Trump came to Brees' defense on Twitter:

...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

"I am a big fan of Drew Brees," President Trump wrote. "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."

President Trump continued: "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!"

While speaking on TNT Thursday evening, NBA legend and Hall of Famer Charles Barkley defended Brees.

"I want to make it clear I did not like what he said right away, but the vitriol and animosity and hatred he got for the last 24 hours I thought was overkill," Barkley said.

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