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Drew Brees issues an apology
New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees has apologized. After enduring nearly a full day of backlash from angry members of society on the heels of his comments about the protests of police brutality against African Americans and people of color in the United States, Brees posted this message to his social media accounts.
View this post on Instagram
I would like to apologize to my friends, teammates, the City of New Orleans, the black community, NFL community and anyone I hurt with my comments yesterday. In speaking with some of you, 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. 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. This is where I stand: I stand with the black community in the fight against systemic racial injustice and police brutality and support the creation of real policy change that will make a difference. I condemn the years of oppression that have taken place throughout our black communities and still exists today. I acknowledge 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. I recognize that I am part of the solution and can be a leader for the black community in this movement. I will never know what it’s like to be a black man or raise black children in America but I will work every day to put myself in those shoes and fight for what is right. I have ALWAYS been an ally, never an enemy. I am sick about the way my comments were perceived yesterday, but I take full responsibility and accountability. I recognize that I should do less talking and more listening…and when the black community is talking about their pain, we all need to listen. For that, I am very sorry and I ask your forgiveness.
A post shared by Drew Brees (@drewbrees) on Jun 4, 2020 at 5:22am PDT
The Brees Statement That Caused the Uproar
In the event you’d turned away from social media on Wednesday, the comments Brees made while speaking with Daniel Roberts of Yahoo! Finance are what set off the sea of backlash.
The Response
Quite honestly, the response to Brees’ apology has been mixed. The comment section attached to his social media posts is littered with people who are urging him to recant his apology, and who still share the sentiments Brees expressed on Wednesday.
There are others, even African Americans who accepted his apology, and another group who seem to be saying it is too late for Brees to make amends, and/or his beg for a pardon isn’t authentic and more the work of a public relations firm seeking to repair a famous person’s image.
Wherever Brees’ apology has come from, it was his only real course of action after such a divisive statement. Only time will tell how well he is received in the Saints’ locker room and in the court of public opinion moving forward.
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Brian Mazique is a veteran sports contributor who covered the NFL, NBA and UFC for Heavy.com from 2020 to 2023, with a focus on the New England Patriots and Chicago Bulls. His work has been featured at Forbes, Bleacher Report and his YouTube channel "Unique Mazique." More about Brian Mazique
