Drew Brees is apologizing for comments that he now says were ``insensitive and completely missed the mark'' when he reiterated his opposition to Colin Kaepernick's kneeling during the national anthem in 2016.
Those remarks, in an interview with Yahoo, drew sharp criticism from fellow high-profile athletes and others in the wake of George Floyd's death.
Los Angeles Lakers great LeBron James, New Orleans Saints safety Malcolm Jenkins and former NFL player Martellus Bennett were just some of the high-profile athletes to criticize Brees on their Twitter feeds.
James says he couldn't believe Brees was still confused about what Kaepernick was trying to do. The Lakers' star says kneeling was not about showing disrespect to the flag or the military but instead about police brutality.
In an Instagram post Thursday, Brees said he was apologizing to his friends, teammates, New Orleans, the black community, the NFL community and ``anyone I hurt with my comments.'' He says his words ``lacked awareness and any type of compassion or empathy'' and had become ``divisive and hurtful.''
with files from Associated Press