Drew Brees apologizes on Instagram: 'I stand with the black community'

In the last 24 hours, Brees has been called out by several professional athletes, including LeBron James. And while former teammate Joe Horn came to Brees' defense, many of his current and former teammates condemned his statement. Receiver Michael Thomas tweeted out criticism of Brees and safety Malcolm Jenkins posted an emotional video in response to Brees' statement. Their words appear to have affected Brees, who acknowledged some of his shortcomings in the post while saying that he is not 'an enemy.'

"I recognize that I am part of the solution and can be a leader for the black community in this movement. I will never know what it’s like to be a black man or raise black children in America but I will work every day to put myself in those shoes and fight for what is right."

It's worth noting that Brees does not actually say that he has changed his position on protesting the flag, so it will be interesting to see how his apology is perceived. Will teammates and players across the league accept his words or could they be seen as a hollow attempt to save his image? Only time will tell.