Drew Brees directly responded to President Trump’s criticism of the NFL star on Friday – a day after the Saints quarterback apologized for saying that players who knelt during the national anthem were disrespecting the flag.

On Instagram, Brees on Friday posted a graphic showing a gray box with the words ‘To President Trump’ written in the middle.

The caption read: ‘Through my ongoing conversations with friends, teammates, and leaders in the black community, I realize this is not an issue about the American flag.

‘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.

‘We did this back in 2017, and regretfully I brought it back with my comments this week.

‘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.

‘We are at a critical juncture in our nation’s history! If not now, then when?

‘We as a white community need to listen and learn from the pain and suffering of our black communities.

‘We must acknowledge the problems, identify the solutions, and then put this into action.

‘The black community cannot do it alone. This will require all of us.’

Earlier on Friday, Trump called out Brees for backing down from his earlier criticism on Wednesday, when the NFL star was quoted as saying that he didn’t agree with protesters who knelt during the national anthem.

Brees apologized on Thursday for comments he made one day earlier that he described as ‘insensitive and completely missed the mark.’ 

He said on Wednesday that he ‘will never agree with anybody disrespecting the flag of the United States of America or our country’ while reiterating his objection to NFL players who kneel during the national anthem.

Brees, who had previously disagreed with the protests started by Colin Kaepernick, repeated his opposition to kneeling during the national anthem in an interview with Yahoo Finance on Wednesday. 

Numerous black athletes, including NBA star LeBron James, expressed outrage at Brees. 

Several of Brees’ New Orleans teammates were among the NFL players who were irate.

The biting backlash that followed prompted the Saints’ star quarterback to issue a several apologies on Thursday, first writing that he ‘missed the mark’ and then promising to ‘do better’ in his self-made video.

In the apology video, Brees also referenced the recent killing of Ahmad Arbery, the black man who was shot to death by a former cop and his son while he was jogging in Georgia.

‘I wish I would have laid out what was on my heart in regards to the George Floyd murder, Ahmaud Arbery, the years and years of social injustice, police brutality and the need for so much reform and change in regards to legislation and so many other things to bring equality to our black communities,’ Brees said.

‘I am sorry and I will do better and I will be part of the solution and I am your ally.’

Trump, though, said on his Twitter account that he doesn’t think Brees needed to issue an apology.

‘I am a big fan of Drew Brees. 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. OLD GLORY is to be revered, cherished, and flown high. …

‘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!’

Several of Brees’ teammates, including Demario Davis, Cameron Jordan, and Michael Thomas, took to social media and praised the quarterback for his apology. 

‘A big part of leadership is admitting when you are wrong, and correcting your mistake,’ Davis tweeted. 

‘A model that All of America can follow, admit the wrong done to the black community, fix the issues and WE ALL move forward together. 

‘Let’s all stand together now and find solutions.’

Jordan responded to Davis, tweeting: ‘Only through open dialogue & open hearts can we expand our comprehension and only in courage can we create positive change!’

Thomas, a wide receiver who catches passes from Brees, tweeted: ‘My QB!’

He added an emoji showing a flexed bicep muscle. 

Trump’s comments came hours before NFL commissioner Roger Goodell apologized and said that the league was wrong for not listening to players and their concerns about social justice and racism.

Social injustice has been a major source of tension in the NFL since former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick began kneeling before games during the 2016 season to bring attention to police brutality. 

Kaepernick hasn’t played in an NFL game since that year.

The NFL’s relationship with black players is under scrutiny in the wake of the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis. 

A group of players requested the NFL take strong action on Thursday in a video directed at Goodell and other NFL officials.

Floyd, a black man, died on May 25 after white Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin kneeled on his neck for more than eight minutes in an incident caught on cell phones. 

Chauvin was charged with second-degree murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.

Three other officers – Thomas Lane, J. Alexander Kueng and Tou Thao – were arrested and charged with aiding and abetting both a second-degree murder and a second-degree manslaughter.   

Former NFL quarterback Ryan Leaf was arrested on a charge of misdemeanor domestic battery on Friday afternoon in Palm Springs, Calif., about 110 miles southeast of Los Angeles.

Leaf was released late Friday night from Larry D. Smith Correctional Facility on $5,000 bail. He is due back in court on Sept. 25 to answer to the charges.

It is unclear who the alleged victim is in the case.

It wasn’t immediately known if Leaf had a lawyer who could speak on his behalf.

Leaf, 44, one of the biggest draft busts in NFL history, has dealt with drug, legal problems and mental health issues since flaming out of the league by the time he was 25.

The much-hyped quarterback was the second overall pick in the 1998 draft by the Chargers, one spot behind two-time Super Bowl champ Peyton Manning. He lasted three years in San Diego and then had a short stint with the Cowboys before personal problems and poor play drove him out of the league. He finished his NFL career with a 4-17 record with 14 touchdowns and 36 interceptions.

It was a stunning fall for a player who had finished third in the Heisman voting during the 1997 season playing for Washington State and was thought to have a legit shot to be the first overall pick.

Leaf’s problems eventually landed him in a Montana prison for 32 months between 2012 and 2014 after he was arrested for breaking into the homes of friends and strangers to steal oxycodone and Vicodin to fuel his drug habit. He had been on probation at the time of his arrest for swiping pills from injured players while he was an assistant football coach at West Texas A&M in Canyon, Texas.

After his release from prison, Leaf began to rebuild his life and has worked to help addicts and alcoholics stay sober as a Program Ambassador for Transcend Recovery Community.

Last July, Leaf was hired by ESPN to be a football analyst. Leaf worked for the Pac-12 Network last season and has been co-hosting a show on SiriusXM’s Pac-12 channel.

Ryan Leaf, the former Washington State quarterback and No. 2 overall NFL draft pick who recovered from substance abuse problems to carve out a career in sports broadcasting, was reportedly arrested Friday in Palm Springs, California, on a misdemeanor domestic battery charge according to TMZ.

According to a booking report filed by the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department, Leaf was charged with domestic battery of a spouse, former spouse, fiancee, dating partner, or co-parent and was arrested by the Palm Desert Police Department around 2 p.m. Leaf was then booked into jail at 3:32 p.m., according to the report.

Bail for Leaf was set at at $5,000. He was still in custody when this story was posted and no further details about what may have led to the reported dispute are available. Leaf is set to appear in court at 8 a.m. Wednesday.

The 44-year-old has been engaged to Anna Kleinsorge, a former Georgetown volleyball player, since 2017. She gave birth to their first child, McGyver, in October 2017. Leaf was formerly married to Nicole Lucia, at the time a cheerleader for the San Diego Chargers – the team that made Leaf the No. 2 pick of the NFL draft in 1998 – but the two separated in 2003 and later filed for divorce.

On Thursday, Leaf posted a video of his son running in circles in their house, along with a caption that read, “Come on…this is one cute kiddo, loving this time with my family. Look what we made @bannanazon #loveyou.” The Twitter handle, @bannanazon, is linked to an account for Leaf’s fiancee, Kleinsorge.

A native of Great Falls, Leaf has spent the past two years working as a college football color analyst. He worked multiple WSU games for the Pac-12 Network before inking a deal with the ESPN networks last July. Leaf and broadcast partner Clay Matvick were on the call for the Cougars’ most recent game, a 31-21 loss to Air Force in the Cheez-It Bowl at Chase Field in Phoenix.

Last year, Leaf was also inducted into the WSU Athletics Hall of Fame as part of the 2019 class, and was celebrated on the field during the Cougars’ Sept. 7 game against Northern Colorado.

Leaf’s career in the NFL lasted just five seasons. The former Heisman Trophy finalist is widely considered one of professional football’s biggest disappointments, especially in relation to where he was picked in the 1998 draft, just one spot after Indianapolis Colts great and future Hall of Famer Peyton Manning.

Seven years after his NFL career ended, after Leaf made just 21 starts with the San Diego Chargers and Dallas Cowboys, he encountered legal trouble and was indicted on burglary and controlled-substance charges in Texas. Three years later, Leaf was in Great Falls when he was arrested on burglary, theft and drug charges, then arrested less than a week later on similar charges.

Leaf’s situation worsened when he was found guilty of “behavior that violated conditions of his drug treatment placement” and subsequently accused of threatening a program staff member at his rehabilitation center. In May 2014, Leaf was incarcerated in Shelby, Montana, and four months later was sentenced to five years, although he was released seven months later.

Since his release, Leaf has managed to curb his substance abuse problems and used his platform to speak to various groups about the severity of drug addiction. In addition to his work in sports media – Leaf co-hosts a Pac-12 radio show on Sirius XM – the former QB has served as a program ambassador for Transcend Recovery Community, a group of sober living houses in cities across the country.

Leaf delivered a speech at a HOF ceremony in Spokane the night before he was celebrated in front of tens of thousands of fans at Martin Stadium, telling the crowd, “I can only expect there were many years when the athlete maybe deserved to be here, but the man didn’t live up to it. And that’s why I think it’s so much more special today. I’m so glad I’m sober to appreciate what you guys have given me.

“Over the last 21 years since I left Washington State, for a long time I didn’t represent the crimson and gray very well. And because my name was recognized and talked about all the time when I messed up, you guys were drug down into the mud with it, and you didn’t deserve it. It’s an opportunity for me to apologize to all of you for having been that person for so long.”

Former Washington State and NFL quarterback Ryan Leaf was arrested Friday in Palm Springs, California, according to jail records.

Leaf, 44, was arrested on suspicion of misdemeanor domestic battery by the Palm Desert Police Department at 1:59 p.m. Friday, according to the Riverside County Sheriff’s office jail records. Leaf is scheduled to appear in court Wednesday and is being held on $5,000 bail.

Leaf played for the Cougars from 1995-97 and led them to the 1998 Rose Bowl, their first appearance in the game in 67 years. He was selected with the second overall pick in the 1998 NFL draft by the San Diego Chargers.

The former quarterback has had a history of substance-abuse and legal troubles. In 2014, Leaf was sentenced to five years for breaking into a home in Montana to steal prescription drugs, and for violating a probation. He was arrested twice in 2012 and charged with burglary and theft of prescription drugs.

Leaf has been engaged to Anna Kleinsorge, a former Georgetown volleyball player, since 2017. Kleinsorge gave birth to their first child, McGyver, in October of 2017. Leaf was formerly married to Nicole Lucia, at the time a cheerleader for the San Diego Chargers – but the two separated in 2003 and later filed for divorce.

Leaf has been open about his road to sobriety since and was hired by ESPN as a college football analyst in 2019.

This story will be updated.

Police have charged a suspect in the fatal stabbing of Clay Beathard, the starting quarterback on the Long Island University football team, brother of an NFL player and grandson of a former NFL general manager.

Beathard, 22, and 21-year-old Paul Trapeni III were stabbed Saturday, Dec. 21 at 2:50 a.m. in Nashville, Tennessee during a fight involving several persons outside the Dogwood Bar & Grill at 1907 Division Street, in midtown, according to Metro Nashville Police.

The stabbings appear to have resulted from an argument over a woman that began inside the bar and then turned physical when the parties went outside, police said. The dispute began over an unwanted advancement made by a man toward the woman in the bar, police added.

Multiple persons were involved in the outdoor fight during which the two men were both fatally stabbed in their sides.

Beathard, of Thompson Station, Tennessee, and Trapeni, of Franklin, Tennessee, were both transported to Vanderbilt University Medical Center where they died.

A third stabbing victim, Alvin Jefferson (A.J.) Bethurum, 21, suffered injuries to his eye and arm and is continuing to recover, said police.

Police now say 23-year-old Michael Mosley has been charged with two counts of criminal homicide and one count of attempted criminal homicide.

Mosley has a long rap sheet that includes multiple aggravated burglary, attempted aggravated burglary and drug-related arrests and convictions dating back five years.

Mosley has been identified as being present both inside and outside of the Dogwood Bar, including when the fight occurred, police said.

Beathard, a 6-foot-1, 190-pound junior, appeared in seven games before missing the remainder of the season due to injury this season.

He completed 52-percent of his pass attempts (94-for-182), throwing for 1,071 yards and four touchdowns.

Beathard was the son of country music songwriter Casey Beathard and Susan Beathard.

Clay Beathard’s brother, C.J., is a quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers. The 49ers picked up an emotional 34-31 win over the Los Angeles Rams on Saturday night after C.J. had returned home to Tennessee prior to the game to be with his family.

”The 49ers family was shocked and deeply saddened to learn of the tragedy involving C.J. Beathard’s younger brother, Clayton,” the 49ers said in a statement. “We extend our heartfelt sympathies to C.J. and the entire Beathard family as they cope with the unthinkable loss of a loved one.

Another brother, Tucker Beathard, is a country music singer/songwriter.

Grandfather, Bobby Beathard, is in the Pro Football Hall of Fame after winning four Super Bowls as an NFL general manager with four different teams: the Kansas City Chiefs, Miami Dolphins, Washington Redskins and San Diego Chargers.

“Clay was an amazing, big and soft-hearted human being with an undeniable love for the Lord,” the Beathard family said in a statement. “He had his family’s, friends’ and teammates’ backs even to a fault. I wish he would have been more inclined to take the high road but he hated ‘wrong.’

“That is what we will hold in our hearts because we know he is smiling now. He always worried about all of our welfare, never his own.”

Clay Beathard is also survived by sisters Channing and Tatum.

LIU football coach Bryan Collins said Clay Beathard had a “love of life, people, especially his teammates” and was a “shining light in our program.”

“All of my thoughts and prayers are with the Beathard Family,” Collins added. “Clay, you will be remembered always.”

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SALT LAKE CITY — Three Utah State University football players, including the team’s starting quarterback, have been charged with misdemeanor drug possession.

Jordan A. Love, 21, Sean Lewis Carter, 23, and Gerold Maurice Bright, 22, all of Logan, were each charged Tuesday in Logan Justice Court with marijuana possession, a class B misdemeanor.

Elani Rice, 20, of Logan, was also charged with marijuana possession and possession of alcohol by a minor, both class B misdemeanors. Rice is on the school’s track and field team.

The incident happened about 11:30 p.m. Saturday at the Millennial Towers, 657 E. 1000 North in Logan, according to court records.

Logan Assistant Police Chief Jeff Simmons said police were called to the student residential housing building on a report of people smoking marijuana in a room. Officers could smell marijuana as soon as they entered the building, he said.

A total of seven people were found in the unit where officers suspected marijuana usage. The group initially declined being drug tested. Police then obtained search warrants and each of the seven occupants gave a urine sample, according to Simmons.

Five people tested positive for marijuana and were issued citations and then released, he said. Two people whose test results were negative were not charged. No additional marijuana was found in the room, the assistant chief said.

All three are scheduled to appear in court on Dec. 30.

“We are aware that citations were issued. We have processes in place, both in student conduct and in athletics, and we’ll follow our procedures, as we do in all cases,” Utah State said in a statement.

Love, a junior, is a three-year starter at quarterback and is one of the most accomplished Aggie signal-callers in school history, ranking second in USU history in passing yards (8,283 yards) and attempts (1,086), third in touchdown passes (57), completions (659) and total offense (8,670 yards) and first in career 300-yard passing games (11). He’s also fourth in completion percentage (.607).

Last week, Love announced he will forgo his senior season and enter the 2020 NFL draft.

Eli Lucero, AP

Bright, a senior running back, leads the Aggies with 827 rushing yards and eight touchdowns this year while adding 207 receiving yards and another score. Carter is a junior college transfer who has one reception for 17 yards this season.

The Aggies play Kent State in the Frisco Bowl this Friday at 5:30 p.m. MST.