Raiders players among those reacting to Drew Brees’ national anthem comments

On Wednesday, New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees sparked criticism after he said he didn’t agree with the idea of kneeling for the national anthem.

Former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick began to kneel in 2016 to protest police brutality and it’s a current hot-button topic in light of the May 25 death of George Floyd. The African American man died after former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was filmed with his knee on Floyd’s neck for several minutes.

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Brees’ comments came during an interview with Yahoo Finance. In a followup response to ESPN, Brees said: “I love and respect my teammates, and I stand right there with them in regards to fighting for racial equality and justice ... I also stand with my grandfathers who risked their lives for this country and countless other military men and women who do it on a daily basis.”

Two second-year Raiders — Josh Jacobs and Trayvon Mullen — were among the pro athletes expressing their disappointment with the Saints QB on social media:

Mullen’s reaction points to the football field. The Raiders will have their regular season home-opener against Brees and the Saints in Las Vegas on Sept. 21.