Former Patriot Calls Out New England Fans for Not Supporting Pre-Anthem Demonstration Back in 2017

Drew Brees reopened the discussion of national anthem demonstrations on Wednesday by saying that anyone who takes a knee is "disrespecting the flag." He's drawn a ton of criticism for the tone-deaf comments, from fans and players alike, and apologized on Thursday after the backlash.

Former New England Patriots linebacker Marquis Flowers spoke out against Brees on Twitter. In the process, Flowers called out the Patriots fan base for being vocally against their pre-anthem demonstration back in 2017.

Prior to a home game at Gillette Stadium, every member of the Patriots team locked their arms in solidarity to combat racial injustice and police brutality. Almost every team did so at the time. As the Patriots performed this peaceful act, Flowers says that some fans in attendance booed them.

This has been a common complaint amongst both current and former players. Some individuals are critical of the ongoing George Floyd protests because they're clumping in the peaceful demonstrators with the outsiders who are using the movement to riot and loot. Those very same individuals are asking why they can't protest tranquilly.

Players have spent the better part of the past week bringing up those contradictory beliefs to say that those same critics despised Colin Kaepernick for kneeling during the anthem, which was an entirely peaceful protest.

Flowers wanted to call out the hypocrisy while also stressing that anthem protests aren't meant to disrespect the military. It's to raise awareness for the racial injustices that take place in this country on a daily basis.