Malcolm Jenkins to teammate Drew Brees: 'You are part of the problem'

New Orleans Saints safety Malcolm Jenkins has responded to teammate Drew Brees after Brees called kneeling during the presentation of the American flag “disrespectful.”

In a four-minute Instagram video posted Wednesday afternoon, Jenkins accused Brees of being “unaware.”

The response initially targeted Brees’ assertion during an interview with Yahoo! Finance earlier in the day that he “will never agree with anybody disrespecting the flag of the United States of America or our country.”

The Saints quarterback was responding to a question asking how he, as a team leader, would respond if protests resumed this upcoming season that are similar to the 2016 season when Colin Kaepernick famously kneeled during the National Anthem and presentation of the colors.

Brees added that both of his grandfathers were servicemen who “risked their lives to protect our country.”

Highlight: @readdanwrite asks @drewbrees what the star NFL quarterback thinks about "players kneeling again when the NFL season starts."@drewbrees: “I will never agree with anybody disrespecting the flag of the United States of America or our country.”

Full exchange: pic.twitter.com/MpCkFyOMed

— Yahoo Finance (@YahooFinance) June 3, 2020

“You are part of the problem,” Jenkins said. “To think that because your grandfathers served in this country, and you have a great respect for the flag, that everybody else should have the same ideals and thoughts that you do is ridiculous. And it shows that you don’t know history.

“Because when our grandfathers fought and served in this country…” Jenkins continued as he was choking up, “they didn’t come back to a hero’s welcome. They came back and got attacked for wearing their uniforms. They came back to racism. To violence.”

Jenkins went on to say that the entire country is “on fire and the first thing you do is criticize one’s peaceful protest that was years ago when we were trying to signal a sign for help and for our allies and white brothers and sisters and people we considered friends to get involved…”

The Pro Bowl safety bristled at what he perceived as Brees’ failure to acknowledge the death of George Floyd, who was killed while handcuffed by a Minneapolis police officer who had his knee in Floyd’s neck.

“The man was murdered at the hands of police in front of us all,” Jenkins said. “It’s been continuing for centuries.”

He added that Brees doesn’t realize that his teammates whom the quarterback refers to as “brothers” came from, and often return to, communities that have been “decimated” by police brutality and racial profiling.

“Unfortunately, you’re somebody who doesn’t understand their privilege. … If you don’t understand that other people experience something totally different than you, then when you talk about the brotherhood and all this other (expletive), it’s just lip service.

“I can’t let it slide.”