New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees has apologized for saying NFL players' kneeling during the National Anthem are "disrespecting" America following widespread backlash from teammates and other professional athletes, several of whom have taken a knee before games to protest racial injustice and police brutality.

"In an attempt to talk about respect, unity, and solidarity centered around the American flag and the national anthem, I made comments that were insensitive and completely missed the mark on the issues we are facing right now as a country.".

Finance that he did not support protesting police brutality if doing so involved "disrespecting the flag" by kneeling during the National Anthem.

Since 2016, several pro football players, following the lead of former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick, have kneeling on one knee during the anthem as a means of peaceful protest.

“I will never agree with anybody disrespecting the flag of the United States of America or our country," Brees said.

Former NBA player Stephen Jackson, who was a longtime friend of George Floyd, a black man who died in Minneapolis after a white police officer knelt on his knee for nearly nine minutes, told the "TODAY" show that Brees is a "smart guy," but that the "timing" of his comments is "definitely bad.".

"To be that naive and he's a smart guy but to be naive and act like you don't know why Kaepernick was kneeling, it just baffles me."

Brees acknowledged in his apology that his comments "lacked awareness and any type of compassion or empathy" and said he is "sick about the way" his comments "were perceived."

Jemele Hill, a sports writer at The Atlantic, instructed people to refer to a tweet from Lamar Louis, a brief teammate of Brees' in 2016, as they "process Drew Brees’ apology."