Richard Sherman was one of the first NFL players to criticize Drew Brees for his comments about players kneeling during the anthem, saying the New Orleans Saints quarterback was "beyond lost."
Brees faced a ton of warranted backlash for saying he still believed kneeling during the anthem disrespected the flag. Brees issued two separate apologies the next day and reportedly had an emotional zoom meeting with his teammates to discuss his comments and how he was missing the mark. After Brees apologized, President Donald Trump said he didn't feel Brees should have had to walk back his comments.
Brees responded to Trump with a lengthy Instagram post saying, in part: “I realize this is not an issue about the American flag. It has never been.”
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To Sherman, Brees' apology, pledge to be an ally for the social justice movement and response to Trump was a good first step and the 49ers cornerback accepts Brees' apology.
“I appreciated him doing that,” Sherman told The San Francisco Chronicle's Eric Branch. “People make mistakes in judgment all the time. None of us are perfect. I think it was just such a disappointment because the locker room and the culture is different than any other place. So you kind of get lulled into the belief that everyone has torn down those stereotypes and those walls. And everyone is treating each other equally.
“I feel better about him actually taking the time to educate himself. He and his wife -- they’re not bad people. But I think he didn’t fully understand the impact of those words. And I think he does fully understand it. So I do accept his apology.”
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The death of George Floyd, a 46-year-old African-American man in Minneapolis police custody, sparked protests across the country after video showed Derek Chauvin, a white police officer, kneeling on Floyd's neck for over eight minutes. A number of the NFL's biggest stars have spoken up in support of the Black Lives Matter movement and the push to end systemic racism and police brutality.
The NFL initially offered a milquetoast after Floyd's death, but the players wanted more. A number of top players, including Patrick Mahomes and Michael Thomas, appeared in a video asking the league to admit it was wrong in its initial stance against peaceful protests and state that its stands with the Black Lives Matter movement.
Commissioner Roger Goodell posted a video the next standing with his players and saying: "I personally protest with you," although he did not mention former 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who first started taking a knee during the anthem in 2016.
Sherman believes Goodell's statement and change of heart on peaceful protests is a good step in the right direction.
“I felt like it was him stepping out of his comfort zone to help try to reassure players that he’s in support and he has their back,” Sherman told Branch. “Obviously he hasn’t been perfect, and for a number of reasons, players have their gripes with him. But I think in that moment, he definitely won some points with some of the players. Just how quick his response was and how well he articulated his understanding.”
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The protests over Floyd's death have spanned from coast-to-coast.
Chauvin was arrested and charged with second-degree murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. The three other cops who didn't intervene to stop Chauvin from kneeling on Floyd's neck even after Floyd told them he couldn't breathe have been charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder.