NEW ORLEANS, LA - AUGUST 30: Drew Brees #9 of the New Orleans Saints stands with his hand over his heart during the playing of the National Anthem before a game against the Los Angeles Rams at Mercedes-Benz Superdome during week 4 of the preseason on August 30, 2018 in New Orleans, Louisiana. The Saints defeated the Rams 28-0.

Brees responds to Trump: 'This is not an issue about the American flag'

Wesley Hitt / Getty Images Sport / Getty

Drew Brees has a message for United States President Donald Trump.

The New Orleans Saints quarterback took to Instagram on Friday to respond to Trump, who tweeted earlier that Brees "should not have taken back his original stance" about protests during the national anthem.

View this post on Instagram

To @realdonaldtrump Through my ongoing conversations with friends, teammates, and leaders in the black community, I realize this is not an issue 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. 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. We are at a critical juncture in our nation’s history! If not now, then when? We as a white community need to listen and learn from the pain and suffering of our black communities. We must acknowledge the problems, identify the solutions, and then put this into action. The black community cannot do it alone. This will require all of us.

A post shared by Drew Brees (@drewbrees) on Jun 5, 2020 at 7:10pm PDT

"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. "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. 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 and prison reform."