Michael Thomas

Colin Kaepernick began kneeling during the anthem in 2016 to protest against police brutality and racial inequality. 

New Orleans Saints quarterback Brees takes offence to the gesture, which he believes is disrespectful to those in the military. 

"I will never agree with anybody disrespecting the flag of the United States of America or our country," Brees said when asked about players kneeling in an interview with Yahoo Finance on Wednesday.

"Let me just tell what I see or what I feel when the national anthem is played and when I look at the flag of the United States.

"I envision my two grandfathers, who fought for this country during World War II, one in the Army and one in the Marine Corp. Both risking their lives to protect our country and to try to make our country and this world a better place. So every time I stand with my hand over my heart looking at that flag and singing the national anthem, that's what I think about."

The 41-year-old does see a connection between the sacrifices made by those in the military and those fighting for civil rights, but still feels the flag should be respected. 

“In many cases, that brings me to tears, thinking about all that has been sacrificed," he said. "Not just those in the military, but for that matter, those throughout the civil rights movements of the '60s, and all that has been endured by so many people up until this point. 

"And is everything right with our country right now? No, it is not. 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. It shows that we are all in this together, we can all do better and that we are all part of the solution."

Brees' comments come a day after Blackout Tuesday, a day established to observe, mourn and bring policy change in the wake of the death of George Floyd, the African-American who died on May 25 while in the custody of police in Minneapolis, Minnesota. 

Since Floyd's death, people have been protesting in several American cities, calling for an end of police brutality against minorities, and the NFL and the league’s teams are addressing ways of supporting and fighting for justice.

Shortly after Brees' interview, Thomas took to Twitter to respond to his quarterback’s opinion. 

"He don't know no better." Thomas wrote in one tweet.  

He followed up a few minutes later with another message directed at Brees. 

Thomas added: "We don't care if you don't agree and whoever else how about that."

Brees then tried to clear the air with his team-mate and others criticising him.

"I love and respect my team-mates and I stand right there with them in regards to fighting for racial equality and justice," Brees said in a statement to ESPN. "I also stand with my grandfathers who risked their lives for this country and countless other military men and women who do it on a daily basis."

In his first full season as the Baltimore Ravens' starting quarterback, second-year signal caller Jackson threw for 3,127 passing yards, a league-leading 36 touchdowns and tossed only six interceptions.

He also broke Michael Vick's single-season record for rushing yards for a quarterback, amassing 1,206 yards on the ground as the Ravens went 14-2 in the regular season.

They exited the playoffs at the first hurdle, falling 28-12 against the Tennessee Titans, though Jackson still had over 500 yards total offense during that Divisional Round clash.

Jackson started in sensational fashion, torching the Miami Dolphins for 324 passing yards and five touchdowns in a game where he had a perfect passer rating.

The 23-year-old had two other games with five touchdown passes and also had a perfect passer rating against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 10, when the Ravens were in the midst of a 12-game winning streak.

That victorious run also helped Jackson's coach John Harbaugh win the Coach of the Year award at the NFL Honours on Saturday night.

Elsewhere, New Orleans Saints wide receiver Michael Thomas was voted Offensive Player of the Year, New England Patriots cornerback Stephon Gilmore claimed the Defensive Player of the Year award and Tennessee Titans quarterback Ryan Tannehill won Comeback Player of the Year.

San Francisco 49ers defensive lineman Nick Bosa was named the Defensive Rookie of the Year ahead of his appearance in Super Bowl LIV, with Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray the Offensive Rookie of the Year.

Brees, the NFL's all-time leader for passing yardage and touchdown passes, caused outrage earlier this week when he said those who protest against racial injustice by kneeling during the national anthem are "disrespecting the flag".

A tearful Jenkins, who returned to the Saints this offseason, described Brees' comments as "hurtful" and "insensitive", with the quarterback later issuing two apologies and an admission he had "completely missed the mark".

While his apologies were welcomed by Saints colleagues, Trump - a vocal critic of those, like Colin Kaepernick, who have knelt during the national anthem - suggested Brees was wrong to row back on his initial views.

However, Brees later posted an Instagram note addressed to Trump in which he reiterated "this is not an issue about the American flag", words which were welcomed by Jenkins.

"Drew, as much as your comments hurt me and many other people, I appreciate you for listening because being heard is a big part of it," the safety said on his Instagram story.

Other prominent voices in the Saints' locker room were also pleased to see Brees express regret over his original comments.

Veteran defensive end Cameron Jordan wrote on Twitter: "My teammate dropped a bar... paraphrasing @demario__davis, "apology is a form of true leadership... that's taking ownership." Only through open dialogue & open hearts can we expand our comprehension and only in courage can we create positive change! @drewbrees".

Wide receiver Michael Thomas, Brees' go-to receiver over the past four seasons, retweeted his team-mate's note and wrote: "MY QB".

Thomas is returning to the New Orleans Saints in 2023, agreeing Tuesday to an incentive-laden one-year contract.

The 30-year-old Thomas was slated to be released by the Saints and become a free agent, but will stay with New Orleans after agreeing to a $10million deal that could be worth to up to $15million, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.

The restructured deal helped give the Saints financial flexibility, resulting in last week's signing of Thomas' new quarterback, Derek Carr.

While Carr is a significant upgrade at quarterback for Thomas over the likes of Jameis Winston, Andy Dalton and Trevor Siemian following the retirement of Drew Brees, the Saints also need Thomas to be healthy for their offense to be firing on all cylinders.

Thomas' 2022 season ended after three weeks because of a toe injury and injuries have limited him to a total of just 10 games since being named the NFL's Offensive Player of the Year in 2019, when he caught 149 passes for 1,725 yards and nine touchdowns.

A second-round draft pick in 2016, Thomas was one of the top playmakers at his position over his first four professional seasons, catching 470 passes for 5,512 yards with 32 TDs over 63 games, but in the three seasons since, he has 56 receptions for 609 yards with three TDs in 10 games.

Wide receiver Thomas, who broke the NFL record for most catches in 2019 with 149 receptions, will miss a third successive game for a Saints team in need of kickstarting their season after back-to-back losses to the Las Vegas Raiders and Green Bay Packers.

Thomas has been troubled by an ankle injury and though he practiced on a limited basis this week, he will not suit up on Sunday.

Lattimore (hamstring) and fellow starting cornerback Janoris Jenkins (shoulder), have also been ruled out, along with tight end Jared Cook (groin), offensive lineman Andrus Peat (ankle) and defensive end Marcus Davenport (elbow/toe).

"I think they're a dangerous team, especially when they're healthy at receiver and having [Kenny] Golladay back in the lineup is significant for them," Saints head coach Sean Payton said of the Lions.

"[Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford] has got all the arm talent that you want at that position. He can fit it into tight windows. I think he's played well."

Thomas, then with the Miami Dolphins, was among those who took a knee in 2016 at NFL games for the United States' anthem, a movement that was started by former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Kaepernick to protest police brutality and racial injustice.

Those issues have been brought to the fore following the death of George Floyd and last week several high-profile NFL players were involved in a video that asked the league to condemn racism and admit it was wrong for "silencing our players from peacefully protesting".

Commissioner Roger Goodell responded by conceding the league was "wrong for not listening to NFL players earlier", which was seen as a significant step given how Kaepernick, who has been out of the league since the 2016 season, was treated at the time and in the following seasons.

However, Thomas says the NFL can do more and he wants the league to recognise Kaepernick, Reid and Stills directly.

In a text message to Peter King for his Football Morning in America column, Thomas said: "It is definitely a step in the right direction.

"However, I personally believe that people are going to call for the league to address what happened to the players who originally protested police brutality and systemic racism and oppression.

"They will ask that the league not only admit they were wrong for suppressing the voices of the players protesting, but also say their names, just like it's important to say the names of the countless black people who have been murdered due to police brutality so they don't die in vain.

"It's important that the league says the names Colin Kaepernick, Eric Reid, Kenny Stills. It will allow the players to fully believe them and we could then all move forward together."

Thomas, who hasn’t played since September 25, was placed on injured reserve Thursday because his dislocated toe did not respond well to rehab, Saints coach Dennis Allen said. 

"I’m not going to get into any time frames right now. I don’t know," Allen said. "He’s going to go on IR. I don’t anticipate that he’ll be able to return this year."

After missing just one game in his first four NFL seasons, Thomas was limited to seven games in 2020 and did not play at all in 2021 due to an ankle injury and complications related to surgery in summer 2021. He will have missed most of the past three seasons since his five-year, $96million extension went into effect in 2020.  

"I think Mike worked his tail off and did everything he possibly could to try to rehab it," Allen said. "This is just something that happens from time to time. It didn’t respond the way we wanted it to, so we felt like surgery was the best option to go ahead and repair it and try to get him healthy." 

Thomas had at least 92 receptions in each of his first four seasons and was an All-Pro in 2019, when he set an NFL record with 149 catches and finished that season with 1,725 yards and nine touchdowns. 

His 470 receptions from 2016 to 2019 led the league, with DeAndre Hopkins in second with 393. 

Running back Alvin Kamara strongly defended Thomas. 

"I just saw a couple comments in the media about him," he said. "Basically like, ‘You can't’ trust him, he’s not being honest about his injury, why is he waiting until now to be ruled out?'

"I’m like, man, nobody knows what we go through in here. The masses get to see Sunday. It’s a lot of s--- we’ve got to go through.

"A player like that, that’s fighting to get back, not only for his team, but for the fans and for his city… for people to be talking s---, it’s like, ah, it hurts my soul to see that." 

All-Pro wide receiver Thomas has not featured for the Saints this season since their opening win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

A high ankle sprain kept Thomas on the sidelines and, though he was fully recovered for the Week 5 meeting with the Los Angeles Chargers, he did not play in the overtime win because of an altercation with a team-mate at practice.

Coming off their Week 6 bye, the Saints listed Thomas as being limited because of ankle and hamstring injuries.

It is unclear whether he will be ready for the visit of the Panthers to provide a boost for an unconvincing Saints offense.

The Saints are 3-2 after squeaking past the Chargers, with Thomas' four-game absence keenly felt.

He led the NFL in receiving yards in 2019 with 1,725, averaging 107.8 per game.

This season, running back Alvin Kamara is the Saints' leading receiver averaging 79 yards per game. Veteran Emmanuel Sanders, with whom quarterback Drew Brees has taken time to establish a rapport, is next with 304 yards at a rate of 60.8 per game. 

Thomas underwent the operation in July following a 2020 season that saw him battle ankle issues.

He had hoped to return for the 5-2 Saints at some point this season, but will not feature in 2021 after it was reported Thomas was dealing with a new ankle injury separate to his previous problems.

Confirming the news on Twitter, Thomas wrote: "As many of you know, early last season I injured my ankle and worked extremely hard over the next few months to get back in time to finish the season.

"Unfortunately, the rehab didn't go as planned and earlier this offseason it was apparent I would need to have a procedure to repair the injury.

"Since then, the team and I have worked diligently, day and night to rehab and get me back on the field.

"Unfortunately, there has been another small setback which we will have to address.

"To my displeasure, I will not be able to make it back in time for this season but will do everything in my power to get back to the player I have always been."

A two-time first-team All-Pro, Thomas led the league in receiving yards with 1,725 in 2019 as he set the NFL record for most catches in a single season with 149.

Injuries restricted him to 40 catches for 438 yards in 2020. The Saints, who lost starting quarterback Jameis Winston to a torn ACL last Sunday, face the Atlanta Falcons in Week 9.

For the first time since the 2005 campaign, the Saints will begin a season with a quarterback not named Drew Brees as their starter.

Brees' retirement was regarded by some as overdue but, if his decision to ride off into the sunset was not viewed as a damaging one for New Orleans, the loss of the receiver with whom he had built a devastating rapport certainly is a significant blow.

NFL Media's Ian Rapoport reported on Friday that Michael Thomas is expected to miss the start of the season having undergone ankle ligament surgery in June.

Thomas was limited to just seven games last year because of persistent ankle injuries and the procedure to fix those problems will, at least in the opening weeks, rob the Saints' 2021 starting quarterback of a two-time first-team All-Pro who has blossomed from 2016 second-round pick into one of the most dependable wideouts in the NFL.

Renowned for his route-running and his proficiency in making contested catches, Thomas produced at a historic level in 2019.

He broke the single-season receptions record with 149, racking up a career-high 1,725 receiving yards at an average of 107.8 per game.

Per Stats Perform data, Thomas registered a burn, which is when a receiver wins his matchup with a defender on a play where he is targeted regardless of whether the ball is catchable, on 76.1 per cent of his 184 targets.

That was the fourth-highest rate among wide receivers in the NFL. Only one player who finished above him, Corey Davis (69), had even 50 targets.

Thomas was tied for the second-most burn yards per route, trailing only Stefon Diggs (3.9) with an average of 3.6.

He got open on 83.2 per cent of his targets, though he did so with an average depth of target of 8.1 yards, illustrating the Saints' dependence on shorter passes in the latter stages of Brees' career.

Thomas will now miss out on the chance to quickly develop an even better understanding with the two quarterbacks, Jameis Winston and Taysom Hill, vying to be Brees' successor.

The frustration of that for the Saints will be two-fold. Winston's aggressiveness -- he was second in the NFL in air yards per attempt (10.7) in his last season as a starter with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2019 -- could unlock Thomas' potential as a downfield receiver to a greater extent than Brees did.

Meanwhile, Thomas' dependability would be a significant aid to an interception-prone quarterback or to a passer in Hill whose only four pro starts came last season.

Instead of enjoying those possible benefits, with Thomas on the sideline, Payton and the Saints have the imposing challenge of maintaining their offensive consistency without a Hall of Fame quarterback and without their All-Pro wide receiver.

The Saints are used to life among the NFL's offensive elite, but with the two most important parts of the equation on that side of the ball out of the picture, at least for the start of 2021, they face being removed from the top table.

Thomas has been sidelined by an ankle injury since Week 1, though the Saints wide receiver has practiced on a limited bases every day for two consecutive weeks.

After being ruled out last week, Thomas is now questionable for the clash with the Chargers in Week 5.

"We'll always do what's best for the athlete and be smart regarding any player," Saints head coach Sean Payton said.

Thomas – a three-time Pro Bowler – broke the NFL record for most catches in 2019 with 149 receptions.

In his only appearance this season, Thomas had three receptions for 17 yards.

The Saints are 2-2 after snapping a run of back-to-back defeats by topping the Detroit Lions 35-29 in Week 4.

The Saints' star wide receiver had surgery last month to repair an ankle injury that limited him throughout the 2020 season. 

General manager Mickey Loomis told reporters at a pre-camp news conference that the decision was taken to treat Thomas' injury "conservatively" in hopes that it would heal with treatment. 

Thomas participated in last month's minicamp, but the team decided afterward he needed to have surgery to return to 100 per cent. 

"It's disappointing. We'll work through it with the other players that are here," Payton said Wednesday.

"But the surgery took place, and obviously we would have liked that to have happened earlier than later. And quite honestly, it should have."

He declined to elaborate further on the timing of the procedure. 

Earlier, Loomis spoke about the team's thinking around Thomas' injury throughout the off-season. 

"We had an expectation that that would heal and he'd be fine coming into camp this year, but we get to minicamp and obviously it wasn't quite right," he said. 

"Obviously, with hindsight, we would have preferred that surgery to be earlier, in February or March, but it wasn't. It is what it is. And hopefully we'll get him back sooner rather than later."

Loomis declined to put a timeline on Thomas' potential return, and Payton indicated the team will not look for outside help during his absence. 

Thomas, 28, was the NFL's Offensive Player of the Year in 2019 after making a record 149 receptions for a league-leading 1,725 yards and nine touchdowns. 

His 2020 playing time was limited by the ankle injury he suffered in last season's opening game, as he wound up appearing in just seven regular-season games and making 40 catches for 438 yards.