Alvin Kamara: Time 'To Be Part of the Solution' After Talking to Drew Brees

New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara said he spoke to teammate Drew Brees after the quarterback said Wednesday he would "never agree with anybody disrespecting the flag of the United States of America or our country," comments he has since apologized for making. 

Kamara said Thursday that "it's time for us to be part of the solution, not the problem" on Twitter:

Brees made his original remarks during an interview with Yahoo Finance's Daniel Roberts, who asked him how the NFL should handle the possibility of players kneeling during the playing of the national anthem this season—in the same way Colin Kaepernick did to protest racial discrimination and police brutality in 2016—given the protests happening around the world:

Brees' remarks were met with immediate backlash, with many of his own teammates calling him out:

Brees apologized for his comments Thursday morning:

Saints players Michael Thomas and Demario Davis said they accepted the apology:

Brees' apology was the first step in repairing any potential fractures it created in the Saints locker room. But at a time when protesters around the world are making their voices heard about the very issues Kaepernick was raising awareness of in 2016, Brees' initial tone-deaf remarks were reminiscent of an NFL power structure that largely attempted to stifle Kaepernick's voice four years ago and hasn't signed him since.