‘He’s beyond lost’: See reaction to Drew Brees protest comments from teammates, athletes, others

Drew Brees’ words were relayed from an unlikely source, but the reaction came from basically everywhere else after the Saints quarterback took a hardline stance on NFL protests during the national anthem. 

In an interview with YahooFinance, the NFL veteran was asked what he felt about players kneeling during the anthem as a way to protest police brutality against black people and communities. 

“I will never agree with anybody disrespecting the flag of the United States of America or our country,” Brees said, going on to explain his connection with the military through his grandparents. 

“So every time I stand with my hand over my heart looking at that flag and singing the national anthem, that’s what I’m thinking about.”

Such protests began with then-San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick, which came to a head early in the 2017 season after President Donald Trump slammed the act in social media posts. 

New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees is holding firm to his position that kneeling during the national anthem constitutes disrespect to b…

Brees’ comments quickly struck a nerve as protests continue nationwide following the killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis officers on May 25.

“He’s beyond lost,” read a response from 49ers cornerback Richard Sherman.

“Drew, you are the problem,” said former NFL wide receiver Doug Baldwin.

Several teammates also shared messages of disappointment and disapproval, including Michael Thomas and newly signed teammates Malcolm Jenkins and Emmanuel Sanders.

Jenkins posted an emotional video response to Brees on Instagram, which he deleted shortly after posting, but reposted shortly later. 

Former LSU superstar Tyrann Mathieu and Pelicans forward Josh Hart joined in the conversation to denounce Brees’ position.

“This country can’t be unified if African Americans are unjustly killed in the street because of the color of their skin,” Hart wrote.

“You represent New Orleans … Don’t ever forget that,” Wrote Mathieu, a New Orleans native.

But the loudest criticism came from NBA superstar LeBron James, who shared his disappointment in Brees’ words on Twitter, where he is followed by more than 46 million users. 

New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees received plenty of backlash after he said in an interview that he held firm to his position that kne…

The reaction comes just a day after Brees, several teammates and Saints coach Sean Payton took part in the “Blackout Tuesday” movement to show solidarity with protests against police brutality. 

One such protest saw a crowd of hundreds to march onto I-10 in New Orleans Tuesday evening, shutting down traffic for several hours before dispersing.  

Scroll below for a feed of reactions to Brees’ comments.

Can’t see the feed below, click here. 

Others Saints posting for Blackout Tuesday: Drew Brees, Taysom Hill, Marshon Lattimore, Marcus Williams and Thomas Morstead.

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