Drew Brees, New Orleans Saints. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)
Drew Brees has walked back his comments on kneeling NFL players “disrespecting the flag.”
Long-time New Orlean Saints quarterback Drew Brees has officially apologized for his tone deaf comments about NFL players “disrespecting the flag” when they kneel in protest. Earlier in the week, Brees made news with his statements that he “will never agree with anybody disrespecting the flag of the United States of America or our country” in response to NFL players that kneel during the national anthem, such as Colin Kaepernick first did in 2016.
The response to Brees’ comments was swift and wide ranging from the sports community. Martellus Bennett went after Brees and former teammate Aaron Rodgers alongside Denver Broncos head coach Vic Fangio. Shannon Sharpe eviscerated Brees and shamed him for his lack of knowledge of black men in American history.
On Thursday, however, Brees has walked back his “insensitive” statements on Instagram with a lengthy message in support of the black community and against racial injustice and police brutality.
Drew Brees “missed the mark” on the issues facing the black community
“In speaking with some of you, it breaks my heart to know the pain I have caused,” Brees said on Instagram. “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 also noted that he has taken full responsibility for his comments, and that while they do not reflect upon his values as a person, he himself has to “do less talking and more listening… and when the black community is talking about their pain, we all need to listen.”
While the damage may have already been done for some thanks to Brees’ comments, it seems as if some Saints players such as Michael Thomas have accepted Brees’ apology and are ready to move forward. While Brees’ statement on Thursday may have come from the right place, it’ll take more than words to be a good white ally in this time.