Drew Brees’ wife Brittany released a statement on Saturday following days of heated discussions about the New Orleans Saints quarterback. She reflected on his comments about kneeling during the national anthem and said that neither she or her husband have a racist bone in their body. However, Brittany also explained that she now realizes that they were part of the problem due to their line of thinking.
“WE ARE THE PROBLEM. I write this with tears in my eyes and I hope you all hear our hearts,” Brittany said on Instagram. “I have read these quotes and scripture 1000 times and every time I read it and the words sink into my heart. I think yes this is what it’s all about…Only until the last few days, until we experienced the death threats we experienced the hate… Did I realize that these words were speaking directly to us.. how could anyone who knows us or has had interactions with us think that Drew or I have a racist bone in our body? But that’s the whole point.”
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As Brittany continued to explain, members of white America may feel good about teaching their children that racism is bad or reading them books about Malcolm X and Rosa Parks. They can feel good about “doing their part” while trying to raise unbiased children that will love everyone equally. However, she said that this is actually part of the problem. They “checked the boxes” but did not listen to those that face systemic racism. Brittany expressed the belief that the comments about kneeling and disrespecting the flag revealed that they don’t understand the problem or what the black community is fighting for.
“That’s the problem we are not listening, white America is not hearing. We’re not actively LOOKING for racial prejudice,” Brittany continued. “We have heard stories from men and women we have known and loved for years about the racism that occurred in their lives .. stories that were never shared or talked about because somehow they were considered normal. To all of our friends and anyone we hurt …we will do better.. We want to do better, we want to HEAR you, and we will fight for you because thinking we are not part of the problem…is checking the box it means we are are not doing enough. It’s our job to educate ourselves. We are sorry [praying hands emoji] -Brittany Brees”
When Brees initially apologized for his comments about disrespecting the flag by kneeling during the national anthem, he explained that he had missed the mark. He didn’t understand what the true issue was and said that he had not done enough to fight for equality or be part of the solution. Brittany also expressed this same sentiment with her statement on Instagram. She said that they would fight for their friends, as well as anyone that they hurt.
The Saints QB is facing criticism due to his comments and his subsequent apology, but both he and Brittany have declared that they will be better. They said they will be changing their approach in their daily lives while becoming active allies in the fight against systemic racism.
