49ers’ Richard Sherman appreciates Drew Brees’ rebuttal toward Trump, feels NFL is making progress

President Trump applauded New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees' initial stance on kneeling during the national anthem.

"I will never agree with anybody disrespecting the flag of the United States of America, or our country," Brees recently said in an interview with Yahoo! Finance.

Brees added that he had two grandfathers who fought for the country during World War II, and kneeling, to him, seems disrespectful of what they had done.

The comments sent shockwaves across the NFL, with many criticizing the quarterback's words and lack of understanding. That included San Francisco 49ers cornerback Richard Sherman, who called Brees "beyond lost."

Brees has since tried to make amends for his words, and the President felt doing so was a mistake.

The Saints quarterback took to social media to respond to Trump's comments.

"I realize this is not an issue about the American flag," wrote Brees. "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," he said. "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."

Sherman has accepted Brees' apology and is appreciative that the quarterback — one of the most popular figures in the NFL — took the time to speak with and listen to others in an effort to educate himself.

"I appreciated him doing that," Sherman told Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle. "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."

The NFL has since issued a statement following a strong push from players for the league to take a stronger stance against racism and social injustice. Commissioner Roger Goodell admitted last week that the NFL was wrong for not listening to players in the past.

"We, the National Football League, condemn racism," Goodell said, "and the systematic oppression of Black people. We, the National Football League, admit we were wrong for not listening to NFL players earlier, and encourage all to speak out and peacefully protest. We, the National Football League, believe Black lives matter. I personally protest with you and want to be part of the much-needed change in this country."

Of course, the league earlier tried to distance itself from protesting when former 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick started an initiative to bring about more awareness of social injustice by kneeling during the national anthem before kickoffs. The protest was mistakenly misconstrued as a stance against the flag or the military, leading to the initial criticism from the President and the pressure put on the NFL.

"This has probably been the most players speaking up in my time in the league," Sherman told the San Francisco Chronicle. "And I think it's really cool because I think people are starting to recognize the platform that they have. And the influence they can have to make a change. ... It's like the beast has been woken up. And I don't think they'll let it go back to sleep."

Sherman is scheduled to speak with reporters on Wednesday, when he will undoubtedly be asked to share more on his thoughts on social injustice and what the league is trying to do to bring about more awareness of the issue.

Click here to read Branch's entire feature built around the interview with Sherman.