Drew Brees' wife apologizes for husband's kneeling comments: 'We are the problem'

New Orleans Saints Quarterback Drew Brees has made several apologies following statements he made about kneeling during the national anthem. Now, his wife is apologizing for the QB's comments about kneeling following the backlash.

Brittany Brees, the quarterback's wife, issued a lengthy apology on the Instagram page of the Brees Dream Foundation, an organization "serving terminally-ill adults and their families by providing end-of-life dreams that offer inspiration, comfort and closure." The post starts out by saying, "WE ARE THE PROBLEM."

"I write this with tears in my eyes and I hope you all hear our hearts," Brittany wrote. "I have read these quotes and scripture 1000 times and every time I read it and the words sink into my heart. I think yes this is what it's all about."

"How could anyone who knows us or has had interactions with us think that Drew or I have a racist bone in our body? But that's the whole point," she said. "Somehow we as white America, we can feel good about not being racist, feel good about loving one an another as God loves us. We can feel good about educating our children about the horrors of slavery and history. We can read books to our children about Martin Luther King, Malcolm X., Hank Aaron, Barack Obama, Rosa Parks, Harriet Tubman...and feel like we are doing our part to raise our children to love, be unbiased and with no prejudice. To teach them about all of the African Americans that have fought for and risked their lives against racial injustice."

"Somehow as white Americans we feel like that checks the box of doing the right thing," she continued. "Not until this week did Drew and I realize THAT THIS IS THE PROBLEM."

"To say 'I don't agree with disrespecting the flag'... I now understand was also saying I don't understand what the problem really is, I don't understand what you're fighting for, and I'm not willing to hear you because of our preconceived notion's of what that flag means to us," she stated.

"That's the problem we are not listening, white America is not hearing," the caption read. "We're not actively LOOKING for racial prejudice. We have heard stories from men and women we have known and loved for years about the racism that occurred in their lives...stories that were never shared or talked about because somehow they were considered normal."

"To all of our friends and anyone we hurt...we will do better...We want to do better, we want to HEAR you, and we will fight for you because thinking we are not part of the problem...is checking the box it means we are are not doing enough," she concluded. "It's our job to educate ourselves. We are sorry."

Brittany Brees' verbose apology was in response to the criticism that her quarterback husband received after his interview with Yahoo Finance, where he said that he will "never agree with anybody disrespecting the flag of the United States of America."

In the interview, Brees was asked about former San Francisco 49ers quarterback turned-activist Colin Kaepernick.

"I love and respect my teammates, and I stand right there with them in regard to fighting for racial equality and justice," Brees said. "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."

Brees was lambasted by fellow NFL players as well as LeBron James. Some people defended Brees, including former NFL coach Tony Dungy and former running back Herschel Walker. President Donald Trump supported Brees' stance on kneeling 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 in response to Trump. "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."

The 41-year-old quarterback has issued several apologies for his comments in the week since the interview was published, which coincided with nationwide George Floyd protests and discussions about police brutality.