Adrian Peterson: Drew Brees Should Have Thought Before Kneeling Comments

Washington Redskins running back Adrian Peterson said Friday that New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees should have "thought it out more" before sharing this thoughts about protesting by kneeling during the national anthem, via Fox 26's Mark Berman:

Peterson said Brees is "not a racist at all" and noted that he has "a lot of love" for him but that he should have "tried to look at things in a different view."

Peterson added that he plans to kneel for the national anthem during the upcoming NFL season: 

During an interview with Yahoo Finance on Wednesday, Brees said he would "never agree with anybody disrespecting the flag of the United States of America" in reference to kneeling during the anthem:

Saints teammates Malcolm Jenkins and Michael Thomas and Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James were among those who called out Brees for his comments.  

Former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick began kneeling during "The Star-Spangled Banner" in 2016 to protest police brutality against people of color and racial injustice.

Brees' comments came after George Floyd, a black man, was killed while in the custody of Minneapolis police on Memorial Day.

Derek Chauvin pinned Floyd to the ground with his knee on Floyd's neck for nearly nine minutes. Chauvin has been charged with second-degree murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter, while the other three officers present—Thomas Lane, J. Alexander Keung and Tou Thao—have been charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder.

The killing of Floyd has sparked protests in the U.S. and internationally against systemic racism.

On Thursday, Brees issued an apology on Instagram, saying he "completely missed the mark." Brees also wrote: "I stand with the black community in the fight against systemic racial injustice and police brutality and support the creation of real policy change that will make a difference."

Following Brees' apology, Saints linebacker Demario Davis told CNN it was "leadership at its finest" for Brees to admit he was wrong.

Peterson and Brees spent four games as teammates in 2017 before the Saints traded Peterson to the Arizona Cardinals.

The 35-year-old Peterson is a future Hall of Famer with seven Pro Bowls, four first-team All-Pro nods and one NFL MVP award to his credit. His 14,216 career rushing yards are fifth on the all-time list and second to only Frank Gore among active players.

Brees will undoubtedly join Peterson in Canton, Ohio, as he is the NFL's all-time leader in passing yards and passing touchdowns. He is also a 13-time Pro Bowler and led the Saints to their only Super Bowl win in franchise history.

The Redskins picked up an option in Peterson's contract to keep him for the 2020 campaign, while Brees signed a two-year deal to return to the Saints this offseason.