(Photo: Jeff Roberson, AP)
Shawn Windsor, Detroit Free Press
Drew Brees is free to say what he wants. He has that right. The New Orleans Saints quarterback is also free to stand during the national anthem and place his hand over his heart and think about his grandfather who served during World War II.
None of that is illegal. Nor should it be.
But he’s not free from criticism, from others disagreeing with his opinion, or his stance, or his notion of what the anthem and the American flag symbolize — Brees said Wednesday he’d never agree with anyone kneeling during the anthem and that it was disrespectful to the flag.
The condemnation to his words was swift and wide, especially from players in the NFL, including some of his teammates. Thursday, he issued an apology. And then later that night, he issued a second apology.
His words, he said, “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.”
The key word here is “awareness.” A close second is “empathy.” In other words, Brees thought about what he said in the context of the backlash. ...
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