Former Jets cornerback Antonio Cromartie let Saints quarterback Drew Brees have it on social media earlier this week.
In response to Brees’ opposition of players kneeling for the national anthem to protest social and racial injustices in the United States, which Breese described as disrespect toward the flag, Cromartie took to Twitter to air his thoughts. He did not pull any punches, calling Brees a “coward” and “stupid.”
Kneeling during the national anthem is a subject that hits home for Cromartie. In 2016, he kneeled during the anthem while playing for the Indianapolis Colts and was released in the middle of the season. Cromartie has not played in the NFL since and has claimed that the Colts cut him because of the protest.
“It ain’t have nothing to do with my age, it ain’t have nothing to do with my style of play,” Cromartie said. “It was because I took a knee.”
Brees’ comments come in the wake of the killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police officer Derrick Chauvin, whose third-degree murder charge was upgraded to second-degree murder on Wednesday. The other three officers involved in the arrest that lead to Floyd’s death have also been charged.
Floyd’s killing has prompted protests across the United States calling for an end to police brutality against black people and minorities. It has also brought the kneeling protests started by former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick back to the forefront of conversation in the NFL with the 2020 season approaching.
