METAIRIE, La. -- Malcolm Jenkins said he believes the dialogue between him and longtime friend and New Orleans Saints teammate Drew Brees this summer was "important for the country and important for us."
Jenkins was one of Brees' harshest critics after Brees said in June that he would "never agree with anybody disrespecting the flag" by kneeling during the national anthem. But both players have insisted that they had good conversations in the immediate aftermath and the ensuing months. And teammates have praised Brees for his sincere effort to become an ally for the Black community in its fight for racial equality and social justice.