Thursday 28 September 2017 10:45, UK
New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees says US president Donald Trump backed "black and minority players into a corner" with his comments last week regarding the anthem.
Last week, the President called NFL players who knelt in protest against police brutality and racial injustice during the anthem "sons of b******" and urged team owners to fire them.
The response by NFL players over the weekend was one of defiance, with almost 200 players kneeling during the national anthem on Sunday.
Brees admits he cannot blame his fellow players who decided to kneel given the tone of the comments from President Trump.
"I still feel like if you are an American you should stand and show respect for the flag and what it symbolises," Brees said as he addressed reporters in London ahead of this weekend's game against the Miami Dolphins at Wembley.
"Certainly I respect the cause and I think what you saw last weekend especially was a direct result of the comments that President Trump made.
"Unfortunately he put all black and minority athletes in a corner and forced them to take action.
"So that was unfortunate that he made the comments that he made.
"And I do not blame the guys for feeling like they needed to do something as a reaction to that."
Brees confirmed the Saints have engaged in collective discussions this week about what they can do to present a unified front during this weekend's anthem ceremony at Wembley.
"We want to find something that we can do together that shows unity and does not show division," Brees said.
"I think we all are very much on the same page as far as the cause being justified but is just the means by which awareness is raised…. How can we do that in a respectful manner?"
Brees' team-mate Cameron Jordan, a two-time Pro Bowl defensive end for the Saints, has been one of those NFL players to protest by taking a knee or raising a fist during the anthem.
Many in America who oppose the gesture take it as a slight on the country's military but Jordan says they have misinterpreted the motives of the players who have taken part.
"With this kneeling or whatever, we still pay homage to our flag," Jordan explained. "We still pay homage to our people. We still respect our troops. We still love everything about our country.
"It is because we love our country we have the ability to take this knee, the ability to place our hand over our heart, the ability to not only sing the lyrics but to take pride in every part of the national anthem.
"That still does not deter us from the fact that we are Americans. It is not going to ever deter from the fact that we respect our flag and that we love being American.
"It only gives us more pride to say 'hey, this is the day and age where I can show and demonstrate what is on my mind and what is in my heart and prove to the world that this is an important topic to pay attention to."
