Following Drew Brees‘ comments about players “disrespecting the flag” by kneeling during the national anthem, he issued an apology and said he had missed the mark on current issues. ESPN analyst Booger McFarland saw this apology and did not exactly appreciate it. He dragged Brees and alleged that the New Orleans Saints quarterback doesn’t regret what he initially said.
“I’m sorry for the way that America is crucifying me; I’m not sorry for what I said. Got it,” McFarland tweeted in response to the QB’s apology. Many of his followers on Twitter agreed with this sentiment and told McFarland to “get Brees.” Others, however, disagreed. They expressed the opinion that the Saints QB has a long history of helping out the black community in Louisiana, and he deserves a “shot at redemption.” These Twitter users said that Brees had received criticism from his teammates and that he responded with humility.
Videos by PopCulture.com
In addition to issuing multiple apologies, Brees also sent a lengthy Instagram statement to President Donald Trump. He said that kneeling is not an issue with the American flag. “We can no longer use the flag to turn people away or distract them from the real issues that face our black communities. We did this back in 2017, and regretfully I brought it back with my comments this week,” he wrote in the long message.
While Booger was quick to criticize Brees following the initial apology, he did give the QB credit for his statement to Trump. He liked that Brees had confronted the president about the peaceful protests during the national anthem. McFarland also called for more people to deliver similar messages.
Brees faced considerable criticism following his comments about the national anthem, but some players came to his defense. Specifically, former Saints wide receiver Joe Horn made a statement about a man he knows very well. Horn said that people should “pump the brakes” on labeling Brees as a racist and that they should not be throwing him under the bus.
“I know Drew Brees. Drew has done a lot to help black families and the black community in New Orleans,” Horn said. “If Drew Brees didn’t love black families and low-income families, he wouldn’t have helped the way he has over the years. People that are criticizing him like LeBron James and other celebrities don’t know him. They need to check his resume.
“I love my race. And I love New Orleans to death. But I know Drew Brees. And Drew is a good person. And until you have walked beside him and gotten to know him, his wife and family, you definitely have to give him a pass on this one and allow Drew a chance to think about what he said and come back and make this right. And I know he will.”
