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LeBron James leads athlete pushback on Drew Brees' protest take: 'What’s wrong is wrong!'

Drew Brees lit a fire Wednesday with his comments about NFL player protests.

Fellow athletes are coming back hard at the New Orleans Saints quarterback with LeBron James leading the way.

What caused the uproar

Brees told Yahoo Finance that he doesn’t want to see players kneeling during the national anthem when football resumes.

“I will never agree with anybody disrespecting the flag of the United States of America or our country,” Brees said in an interview with Daniel Roberts. “Let me just tell what I see or what I feel when the national anthem is played and when I look at the flag of the United States.”

Brees then went on to talk about his grandfathers fighting in wars.

The nationwide protests over the killing of George Floyd have shone a new light on Colin Kaepernick’s social justice protests. Some of Kaepernick’s many vocal critics who shifted the narrative from police brutality to a message on the military are now understanding the true meaning behind his message when he took a knee.

James and and others are wondering why Brees didn’t get the memo.

LeBron James: ‘WOW MAN’

Meanwhile former NBA player Stephen Jackson, who was a friend of Floyd’s, applauded Brees’ teammates for calling him out.

NFL players, others rip Brees

Meanwhile, San Francisco 49ers cornerback Richard Sherman led a vocal contingent of current and former NFL players.

Malcolm Jenkins: Shut the f--- up’

New teammate Malcolm Jenkins posted a fiery video on Brees, telling him to “shut the f--- up.”

The Saints safety deleted that post before publishing a separate emotional video where he calls Brees “a part of the problem.”

Saints teammates weigh in too

Brees’ veteran Saints teammates didn’t hold back either. Michael Thomas and Alvin Kamara were among Brees’ critics on Twitter.

As was New Orleans native and actor Wendell Pierce, best known for portraying a cop on “The Wire.”

Drew Brees' protest comments drew a swift public rebuke from athletes including his own Saints teammates. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)
Drew Brees' protest comments drew a swift public rebuke from athletes including his own Saints teammates. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)

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