Saints Release Statement Supporting Military After Veteran Declines Invite

The New Orleans Saints announced Thursday they "respect" the decision of retired Navy commander John Wells to turn down their invitation to be honored during Sunday's game, though they called it "unfortunate and disappointing."

Mike Triplett of ESPN.com noted Wells has publicly said he doesn't support the NFL anymore in light of players protesting racial inequality and police brutality by kneeling during the national anthem.

"We will not allow Mr. Wells' decision and subsequent media appearances to distract our players and organization from continuing to honor and support our military and veterans," the announcement read. "We, as an organization, have decided to move on from this sad and divisive discourse and focus our attention on supporting our military and veterans. In lieu of honoring Mr. Wells, we will use the time allotted for the Peoples Health Champion Award to highlight non-political military advocacy programs and encourage our fans and community to join us in contributing to these groups who directly support our military and veterans."

The statement pointed out the Saints have consistently stood for the anthem outside of their Week 3 game against the Carolina Panthers.

The Week 3 timeline is notable because it was in the immediate aftermath of President Donald Trump's divisive comments at a rally when he criticized players who kneel during the anthem and said owners should "get that son of a bitch off the field right now."

While some players have continued to kneel and sit during the anthem since, there were far more players around the league than normal who protested in such a manner in the week after the president's comments.

Triplett noted the Saints have since knelt in a display of unity before the anthem starts, though it hasn't stopped many fans from booing their actions.

Colin Kaepernick was the first player to protest inequality by kneeling during the anthem when he was a member of the San Francisco 49ers last season. He does not have a job in the league this year and has filed a grievance against league owners for collusion, but the topic has remained a talking point for much of the season.

As for the Saints on the field, they face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in an NFC South showdown Sunday and will look to bolster their division lead and 5-2 mark.