Cam Jordan on Drew Brees' remarks: Can't tippy-toe on issue

When Drew Brees was asked Wednesday what he thought about the prospect of NFL players kneeling during the national anthem to protest police brutality during the upcoming season, the future Hall of Fame quarterback added fuel to an already charged issue, telling Yahoo! Finance, "I will never agree with anybody disrespecting the flag of the United States of America or our country."

Jordan, who on Wednesday evening attended a packed Black Lives Matter rally at New Orleans' Duncan Plaza held in the wake of the videotaped killing of George Floyd while in the custody of the Minneapolis police, was shocked by Brees' comments, which echoed the erroneous charges often levied by critics depicting the gesture as anti-military and unpatriotic. And while Jordan and Brees had a phone conversation Wednesday afternoon to work through their differences, it's clear that things won't be completely healed when the team reports to training camp later this summer.

"I feel like I gave him my perspective -- it was almost like I was trying to force him to walk a mile in my shoes -- and I hope it gets through," Jordan told NFL.com Wednesday night. "I hope it gets through to my guy Drew, because that's what he is ... he's been my guy since I entered the league (in 2011).

"He's been the leader and a guy I can rely on -- on the field. Well, off the field has to align. I can't allow people to tippy-toe on the line of this issue. You can't play both sides on this one. We're fighting to end social injustice, and you're either with us or you aren't."

Jordan, a five-time Pro Bowl selection, wasn't the only Saints player to rebuke Brees publicly. Safety Malcolm Jenkins and All-Pro receiver Michael Thomas also took issue with the quarterback's stance, which Brees attributed to his regard for "my two grandfathers, who fought for this country during World War II." And Jordan conceded that the fallout will likely carry over to the start of training camp, if not beyond.

"I mean, of course it will," Jordan said. "In our locker room, we hold people accountable. I've already talked to 10 to 12 teammates, and a coach or two, and with the man himself (Brees). You have to put him legitimately in our shoes, and at the same time, I don't want to force feed him. I want to walk in his shoes, too. [The national anthem] is a source of pride for him. But he has to know what that act is all about, and what it really represents."

Jordan, an African-American, said he understood that Brees was attempting to convey his personal feelings about the anthem and the symbolism it provokes. Yet from Jordan's perspective, kneeling to support the rights of oppressed Americans and taking pride in the flag and military are not mutually exclusive.

"I understand that Drew has military ties, and he went on to explain that [in our conversation], but the first nine words ('I will never agree with anybody disrespecting the flag') are the most hurtful," Jordan said. "He's creating the emotional illusion that everyone who takes a knee is disrespecting the flag, when we've spent years trying to explain what the protest is really about.

"This flag is supposed to protect all of us. I support the military, too -- I've done multiple USO Tours. My grandfather was in the Army and later served as the first black highway patrolman in Phoenix. My uncle was in the Navy. And my wife's dad was in the Marines.

"I know Drew is a phenomenal person. I know he gives back to the community. I know what's in his heart and how he pours out his heart. But maybe I didn't get clear enough about what the movement meant in 2017, when we all knelt in unison in London."

That full-team display of unity, which occurred before a 2017 game against the Miami Dolphins at Wembley Stadium, came in the wake of President Donald Trump's derisive comments about Kaepernick at an Alabama rally, during which the nation's chief executive told supporters, "Wouldn't you love to see one of these NFL owners, when someone disrespects our flag, to say, 'Get that son of a bitch off the field right now?' "