There was a war of words on Wednesday as New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees, one of the faces of the NFL, was attacked on social media by NBA star LeBron James.

The conflict arose as Brees responded to the current tension in the USA.
Asked about players who kneel for the national anthem in silent protest before matches, Brees said he can’t agree with that in an interview with Yahoo.

“I will never agree with anybody disrespecting the flag of the United States of America or our country,” he said.

“Let me just tell you what I see or feel when the national anthem is played and I look at the flag of the United States.

“I envision my two grandfathers who fought for this country during World War II – one in the Army, one in the Marine Corps – both risking their lives to protect our country and to try to make our country and this world a better place.

“So, every time I stand with my hand over my heart, looking at that flag and singing the national anthem, that’s what I think about.

“And in many cases, it brings me to tears thinking about all that’s been sacrificed.

“Not just those in the military, but for that matter, those throughout the civil rights movements of the 1960s and all that has been endured by so many people up until this point.

And is everything right with our country right now?

“No, it’s not.

“We still have a long way to go.

“But I think what you do by standing there and showing respect to the flag with your hand over your heart is it shows unity.

“It shows that we are all in this together, we can all do better and that we are all part of the solution.”

Several athletes responded to Brees, the most high-profile of these being James.
“Wow man!” the LA Laker wrote as he quote-tweeted the Brees interview.
“Is it still surprising at this point?
“Sure isn’t!
“You literally still don’t understand why Colin Kaepernick was kneeling on one knee?

“It has absolutely nothing to do with the disrespect of and our soldiers (men and women), who keep our land free.

“My father-in-law was one of those men who fought as well for this country.

“I asked him a question about it and thank him all the time for his commitment.

“He never found Kaepernick’s peaceful protest offensive because he and I both know what’s right is right and what’s wrong is wrong!
“God bless you