Drew Brees' Words 'Insensitive' but Steven Nelson Won't Hold Grudge

Steelers cornerback Steven Nelson isn't pleased by the remarks of Drew Brees regarding players protesting during the National Anthem.

PITTSBURGH -- One name throughout the NFL that has caught almost everyone's attention is New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees.

Brees said during an interview with Yahoo Finance Wednesday that he would "never agree with anybody disrespecting the flag of the United States of America or our country."

"Is everything right with our country right now? No, it is not," Brees said. "We still have a long way to go. But I think what you do by standing there and showing respect to the flag with your hand over your heart, is it shows unity."

Brees received plenty of criticism following the tweet, including a video from teammate Malcolm Jenkins. 

I recorded a few videos when thinking of how to respond to Drew Brees, I don’t take any of it back-I meant what I said-I removed the 1st video because I knew it be more about the headlines. I want people to understand how those of us struggling with what’s going on feel pic.twitter.com/T054qt0YEz

— Malcolm Jenkins (@MalcolmJenkins) June 3, 2020

He apologized on Instagram, saying, "It breaks my heart to know the pain I have caused."

"In an attempt to talk about respect, unity, and solidarity centered around the American flag and the national anthem, I made comments that were insensitive and completely missed the mark on the issues we are facing right now as a country," Brees wrote.

Nelson isn't holding Brees' original words against him but said he can't speak for the entire team. Still, the words against players protesting during the National Anthem didn't sit right with the Steelers cornerback.

"It was rough to see that from a guy like that because he's very well respected throughout our league a lot of people even myself look up to him," Nelson said. "His statement or comment was very insensitive to the whole situation. That rubbed people the wrong way — even myself. I'm glad he apologized. I don't hold grudges, but I can't speak for everybody else. It's going to be hard to come back from that because of what's going on right now."

Nelson said he and his teammates haven't discussed ways they can bring attention to the matter during pregame or in-game this season. For now, he's using his platform to voice positivity and bring love during this time of hopeful change.

"That's a good thing about being a pro athlete. We have a big platform to speak out for the people and just voice our opinions and our thoughts and create a change the best way we can," Nelson said. "A lot of guys have big followings on social media that's a great start for guys like myself to dress positively and love throughout our country because God knows we need it right now in spite of what's going on."

Noah Strackbein is a Senior Writer with AllSteelers. Follow Noah on Twitter @NoahStrack, and AllSteelers @si_steelers.