Ex-NFL WR Santana Moss on Drew Brees: 'How Could You Say That?'

Former New York Jets and Washington Redskins wide receiver Santana Moss criticized New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees for his comments criticizing kneeling during the national anthem to protest racial inequality and police brutality.

Moss made the remarks on the I AM ATHLETE podcast:

"When you think about our ancestors that fought for that same flag, this country, that came back, that was arrested, killed and not given those promises that was given to them before they went out there to fight.

"How could you sit there and say something about your granddads and what they did and we still sitting here today in 2020 after what we just went through these weeks of these killings, how could you sit there and say that if you didn't know then when Colin Kaepernick was doing it, you know now, so how could you say that?"

Brees told Daniel Roberts of Yahoo Finance on Wednesday that he "will never agree with anybody disrespecting the flag of the United States of America" and cited his grandfathers fighting in World War II:

"So every time I stand with my hand over my heart, looking at that flag and singing the national anthem, that's what I think about... thinking about all that has been sacrificed, not just those in the military, but for that matter, those throughout the civil rights movement of the '60s.

"And all that has been endured by so many people. And is everything right with our country right now? No, it's not. We still have a long way to go. But I think what you do by standing there and showing respect to the flag with your hand over your heart is it shows unity. It shows that we are all in this together, we can all do better, and we are all part of the solution."

After much criticism, Brees offered a pair of apologies on social media.

President Donald Trump then said he disagreed with Brees' apologies, to which the 19-year NFL veteran offered the following response in defense of his two posts:

The kneeling protests began with former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick during the 2016 NFL season.

Brees' initial remarks received much backlash from numerous sources, including teammates such as safety Malcolm Jenkins and wide receiver Michael Thomas.

His ensuing apologies and statement to Trump garnered much praise in return, with director/producer Spike Lee directly praising Brees' remarks to the president during a Zoom call with the Saints on Tuesday, per ESPN's Adam Schefter.