Brees responds to Trump: 'This is not an issue about the American flag'

Drew Brees has a message for United States President Donald Trump.

The New Orleans Saints quarterback took to Instagram on Friday to respond to Trump, who tweeted earlier that Brees "should not have taken back his original stance" about protests during the national anthem.

"Through my ongoing conversations with friends, teammates, and leaders in the black community, I realize this is not an issue about the American flag," Brees said. "It has never been."

"We can no longer use the flag to turn people away or distract them from the real issues that face our black communities. We did this back in 2017, and regretfully I brought it back with my comments this week. We must stop talking about the flag and shift our attention to the real issues of systemic racial injustice, economic oppression, police brutality, and judicial and prison reform."