Washington Redskins running back Adrian Peterson says that he and his teammates will be taking a stand against police brutality when NFL games resume.
As per KTRK's Greg Bailey, when Peterson was asked if he would take a knee during the national anthem, he replied, "Without a doubt, without a doubt." He added, "Years ago, seeing [Colin] Kaepernick taking a knee, now we're all ready to take a knee together going this season without a doubt." He didn't elaborate whether he had spoken with the rest of his team about kneeling, but he does indicate that he won't be alone in his protest.
Asked about potential fallout from taking a knee, all time great @AdrianPeterson says with conviction: "Are they going to try to punish us all? If not playing football is going to help us save lives and change things then that's just what it has to be." #NFL
More from @AdrianPeterson on George Floyd's death: "It affects anyone who has a heart."
Sports Illustrated reports that during media availability, Peterson also said that he didn't think Drew Brees is a racist. "Drew is not a racist," Peterson said, before stating that he should have thought out his comments a bit longer. Brees courted controversy earlier this week when he said he wouldn't support "anybody disrespecting the flag of the United States of America." Shortly after making those comments, he issued two apologies.
The comments from Peterson come just after Donald Trump criticized Brees for apologizing for his comments. "I think he’s truly one of the greatest quarterbacks, but he should not have taken back his original stance on honoring our magnificent American Flag," wrote Trump on Twitter.
...We should be standing up straight and tall, ideally with a salute, or a hand on heart. There are other things you can protest, but not our Great American Flag - NO KNEELING!
