A timeline of Drew Brees’ wild 3 days, from his divisive comments to responding to Donald Trump

Drew Brees has had a whirlwind three days, which started with him angering teammates and ended with him publicly responding to Donald Trump.

This week saw a whole lot of Saints Drew Brees in the news, following an interview he gave in which he reiterated his stance against players protesting during NFL games, which he said he viewed as “disrespecting the flag of the United States of America.”

Brees was quickly called out by teammates, other NFL players, New Orleans citizens, and others. Brees then issued not just one but two public apologies in the span of a day, became fodder for a Fox News host, and even got the attention of the president.

It’s been a week for Brees. Let’s break down exactly what happened over the last three days, and how we got to where we are now.

(All times Eastern.)

Wednesday, 11 a.m. — Brees gives interview with Yahoo Finance, reiterates stance on sideline protests

This entire saga started with Yahoo Finance of all things, during an interview with Brees which aired Wednesday morning. In the interview, Brees was asked about players kneeling again when the season starts.

Brees responded:  “I will never agree with anybody disrespecting the flag of the United States of America or our country.”

Wednesday, 1 p.m. – Saints teammates, other athletes call out Brees on social media

As the video made the rounds of the internet, the Saints’ Michael Thomas and Malcolm Jenkins publicly lambasted Brees, expressing their anger that, after all these years, Brees still was equating the protests as somehow being against the United States’ flag or anthem.

LeBron James and other NFL players also called out Brees for missing the mark. In New Orleans, a NSFW-chant against Brees is heard on the streets at protests.

Wednesday, 10 p.m. – Fox’s Laura Ingraham defends Brees

On he Fox show on Wednesday night, Laura Ingraham defended Brees, saying it was his right to speak out on a political issue.

People quickly compare Ingraham’s statements on Brees to her comments on LeBron James, who she famously told to “shut up and dribble” after James used his platform to speak out on social justice issues.

A whole lot of people, including LeBron himself, called out Ingraham for her hypocrisy and noted she was fine with white players speaking out, but not fine with black players doing the same.

Thursday, 8 a.m. – Brees issues apology on Instagram

In a post on Instagram which came with a stock image of a black hand and white hand clasped together, Brees apologized for his comments, which he said lacked understanding of timing and context.

The apology was accepted by some of Brees’ teammates, but others questioned how sincere it was, especially since much of the language seemed to stem from the idea that Brees’ words were misconstrued, and not him admitting that he had actually done anything wrong.

Thursday, 8:30 p.m. – Brees issues second apology on Instagram

That night, Brees issued a second apology, a video in which Brees spoke directly to the camera.

“I know there’s not much that I can say that would make things any better right now, but I just want you to see my eyes, how sorry I am for the comments I made yesterday,” Brees said.

“I am sorry, and I will do better, and I will be part of the solution, and I am your ally,” Brees concluded. “And I know no words will do that justice, that’s going to have to be [action].”

Friday, 4:08 p.m. – Donald Trump tweets that Brees shouldn’t have apologized

On Friday evening, President Donald Trump entered the fray, saying that he didn’t believe Brees should have apologized.

Friday, 10:10 p.m. – Brees responds to Trump

In perhaps the most stunning turnaround of the entire thing, Brees again posted to Instagram, this time directly responding to Trump. While respectful, Brees explained to the president what he had learned from his teammates and why he now supports their right to kneel.

“Through my ongoing conversations with friends, teammates, and leaders in the black community, I realize this is not an issue about the American flag,” Brees wrote. “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.”

View this post on Instagram

To @realdonaldtrump 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. We did this back in 2017, and regretfully I brought it back with my comments this week. 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? We as a white community need to listen and learn from the pain and suffering of our black communities. We must acknowledge the problems, identify the solutions, and then put this into action. The black community cannot do it alone. This will require all of us.

A post shared by Drew Brees (@drewbrees) on

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