This may be an unpopular opinion, and I'm not even sure it's my place to say this, but I accept Drew Brees' apology.
The entire country is reeling from another completely avoidable death of a black person at the hands of the police. And this is the moment he chose to trot out the old tired argument about disagreeing with those who "disrespect the flag." It was especially bad timing for this type of rhetoric (not that there's ever really a good time), and he was justly criticized for it.
And then he apologized on Instagram. He called his previous remarks "insensitive" (they were) and said they "completely missed the mark" (they did). He wrote in his post that his comments, "lacked awareness and any type of compassion of empathy," which is absolutely true. He literally said the words, "I would like to apologize," and "I am very sorry," which many feel is a necessity for a sincere apology.
Inevitably, some people will question his sincerity or claim that he's sorry about the backlash more than the actual sentiment of his original remarks. But I'm going to give him the benefit of the doubt. To me, the whole purpose of advocating for Black Lives Matter is to change people's minds, often by asking them to recognize their privilege. We hope that in so doing, they'll reflect on their attitudes towards others and come out with more empathy. Isn't that kind of reflection exactly what Brees is doing in his statement? And if you don't think it is, then what exactly are you looking for?
I'm glad Mr. Brees took the time to think about what he had said and why it upset people. A lot of people would have callously dismissed their critics as a bunch of snowflakes or "cowards and Marxists," in the words of former NFLer Burgess Owens. (Eye roll.) Well done, Mr. Brees.
And now on with the fight!
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| And by the way, he knelt for the anthem along with his teammates. |
