New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees on Friday pushed back after President Trump said the football player should not have apologized for controversial statements against athletes who kneel during the national anthem to protest police brutality and racism. 

In an Instagram post directed at the president, Brees said he has realized that the issue at hand is not about the American flag.

"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," Brees wrote.

"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 & prison reform," he added.