Portland Trail Guards Trail Blazers CJ McCollum is the latest professional athlete to tear New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees to comment on the quarterback national anthem made on Wednesday after George Floyd’s death.
But it came with a twist: Praise for Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
“We need more @ AaronRodgers12 and less @drewbrees,” The 28-year-old McCollum tweeted. “Ignorance is not an excuse. You have to let go of the ball and throw it to the same teammate you rejected. “
The 41-year-old Brees received a reaction from team-mates Malcolm Jenkins and Michael Thomas, and LeBron James, when he said in a Yahoo Finance interview that it is important to show respect to the flag.
McCollum’s praise for Rodgers probably came from Instagram post from a 36 year old quarterback on Wednesday which read: “A few years ago we were criticized for locking weapons in solidarity before the match. Never before about the national anthem or flag. It is not that. Not now. Listen with an open heart, let’s educate ourselves, and then turn words and thoughts into action. “
Aaron Rodgers, CJ McCollum and Drew BreesGetty Images (2); The AP
As for Brees, he said the song gave rise to many emotions for him.
“In many cases, it makes me cry, thinking about everything that has been sacrificed,” Brees said in a Yahoo Finance interview. “Not only those in the military, but in this case, those who were in the entire civil rights movement in the 60s, and all that has been experienced by so many people to date.
“And is everything true with our country now? No it’s not that. 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 hands above your heart, is that it shows unity. This shows that we are all together, we can all do better and that we are all part of the solution. “
Floyd, 46, died on May 25 in Minneapolis after police officer Derek Chauvin, 44, pressed his knee to Floyd’s neck for more than eight minutes after Floyd allegedly spent fake $ 20 bills.
Charges against Chauvin were raised on Wednesday. He now faces more serious second-degree murder charges, in addition to initial charges of third-degree murder and second-degree murder with negligence to blame.
Other officers at the scene of Thomas Lane, 37, J. Alexander Kueng, 26, and Tou Thao, 34, are now accused of aiding and abetting second-degree murder and helping and abetting second-degree murder.
