Don’t Believe Drew Brees’ Bullshit Apology

04 Jun, 2020

New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees issued an apology Thursday for his comments on “disrespecting the flag,” saying he “completely missed the mark” on current issues in the United States and that it “breaks my heart to know the pain I have caused.”

During an interview with Yahoo Finance on Wednesday, Brees reiterated his stance that he will “never agree with anybody disrespecting the flag of the United States of America.” He later told ESPN that he stands with his teammates fighting for racial equality and justice but also with the military, past and present.

The comments drew harsh criticism from a number of people, including his teammate Malcolm Jenkins, who said he was hurt by Brees’ comments and that they were “extremely self-centered.”

In an Instagram post Thursday, Brees said he was apologizing to his friends, teammates, New Orleans, the black community, the NFL community and “anyone I hurt with my comments yesterday.”

“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. “They lacked awareness and any type of compassion or empathy. Instead, those words have become divisive and hurtful and have misled people into believing that somehow I am an enemy. This could not be further from the truth, and is not an accurate reflection of my heart or my character.”

On Thursday night, Brees issued another apology in a video message posted on Instagram saying he wished he “would’ve laid out what was on my heart in regards to the George Floyd murder.”

Brees continued to say in his original post that he stands with the black community “in the fight against systemic racial injustice and police brutality” while supporting the creation of real policy change.

He also condemned the years of oppression the black community has faced — and continues to face. And he acknowledged that “we as Americans, including myself, have not done enough to fight for that equality or to truly understand the struggles and plight of the black community.”

During an hourlong virtual team meeting Thursday, Brees addressed his teammates and apologized again to them, ESPN’s Dianna Russini reports.

Saints punter and NFL Players Association executive committee member Thomas Morstead declined to share any specific details of what the team discussed in the meeting but told ESPN’s Mike Triplett it was a “vulnerable” and “necessary” conversation, “not only for our team, but just as men.”

“Hopefully more people around New Orleans and around the country are starting to have some of these difficult conversations,” said Morstead, who said players were professional and kept their emotions in check but were very direct and said what they thought they needed to say.

Morstead also credited Saints coach Sean Payton for providing great leadership as a facilitator of such an important meeting.

ESPN

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