Drew addresses Trump (1 Viewer)

[Heathen Saint]

This was a take from Michael Wilbon of ESPN. Have to say that I agree with him -- the apology was sincere and Brees means well, but the issue for the most part wasn't addressed. Drew did not address specifically the physical gestures or violations of such one can make during the anthem:

 

[where yat brah]

As a white guy, I would say Wilbon is slightly off on the % that don't get it.
My guess would be slightly lower at between 65-70% but maybe that's just wishful thinking.

 

[dtc]

The first few "apologies" from Drew were vague sentiments of pro interracial relations and were rubbish. They were quite generic and didn't really say much at all. However the big response to Trump on Twitter was quite significant and I have no reason to doubt its sincerity. he flat out said the kneeling wasn't about the flag or the military, which is the exact opposite of his original statement last week. To say he was just saying what the people wanted to hear, would essentially be to say Drew Brees lied. If there's one thing Drew has been all week it's being 100% honest.

the original sentiment is worth asking, how could he change his mind so drastically in 2-3 days? Simple. He has a lot of high-profile friends in the NFL who talked with him. He was open minded to them and listened because of that. and the conclusion he came to was seeing things from his friends' perspectives which was understanding what the anthem protest was about and why it was done the way it was. If more people would be as open-minded to listen as Drew Brees was, this world would be a much better place.

Every once in a while an intervention actually gets through to the person whose friends are trying to save him and results in a sea change.

 

[Saintamaniac]

As a white guy, I would say Wilbon is slightly off on the % that don't get it.
My guess would be slightly lower at between 65-70% but maybe that's just wishful thinking.

You know really, it's not the 65-70% that don't get it that is the issue/problem. It's the unknown percentage that are against it. In order to be against it you have to believe that the ultimate goal of these protest is to gain some sort of advantage because they already believe that everything is equal --that society treats blacks and whites exactly the same. Otherwise being against it would mean that those people are acknowledging that the system is tilted in their favor and they are fine with that.

Not understanding is fine because you can gain understanding and work to make changes. Understanding and being against it means you KNOW the problem exists and don't want it to change. I believe Brees was to some degree, oblivious to the problem. I also believe that now that he's been educated, he will approach this situation like he has approached his career. I believe Brees is a good guy who was simply undereducated on an issue that plagues 80% of the guys he's gone into battle with; guys who have put their bodies on the line to protect him and once he realized his mistake, it hurt him deeply.

As fans, we see Brees on Sundays and during interviews. These guys spend a good bit of their time around each other. They KNOW each other and they will put this behind them. Think of it like this....you are married and you've been saying something to your wife for years in jest yet she hasn't found it funny but didn't say anything to you but her body language has been saying, "I don't like that". Finally after years of it, she tells you that she never liked it. All those years, you've been ignoring her body language to the point that she could no longer take it and spoke up. How would you feel knowing that you've been insulting your wife all these years simply because you didn't think it was an insult but it has been to her the entire time and you didn't take the hint from her body language. It's not exactly the same but close.