Kirby Jackson

Candidly, I’m not sure. It’s an assumption on my part. PSE definitely is profitable which is why I think it rubs people the wrong way. It’s the old, “why does McDonald’s pay minimum wage?” The answer is because they can. Personally, I’m a lot more sensitive to the small boutique having to lay people off or paying minimum wage than I am Wal-Mart. This situation seems to fall somewhere in between those 2 with PSE being closer to Wal-Mart and The Athletic being the small boutique. Obviously it isn’t that extreme but hopefully that example illustrates the point I’m trying (not so successfully) to make.

It’s not though. That video featured stars in the league. Jamal Adams is a 1st team all-pro and the best safety in football. Do you know what he looks like? I don’t. The same with Marlon Humphrey, Minkah Fitzpatrick, Aaron Donald, Julio Jones, etc... I would recognize Patty Mills though. That’s kind of the point. There’s nothing that can be done but it is absolutely a part of it. NFL players are anonymous (the same for hockey players and to a lesser extent baseball players). There are certainly other parts. NBA ownership is infinitely more progressive than NFL ownership. The player leadership and league leadership are in lockstep. There’s trust.

It’s apples and oranges though. PSE is extremely profitable. The Athletic didn’t have the same finances to do that.

Some of it’s the nature of the league too. The NBA players don’t wear helmets. They are the most recognizable athletes in the country. I could pick out a role player on the Sacramento Kings but didn’t know who a few of those guys in that video were by face. There’s nothing that the NFL can do about that but it is absolutely a factor.

I really don’t view it as a ton of mediocrity. There are some young guys ascending and some older guys descending. We really have no idea if Darnold/Allen/Mayfield/Wentz/Goff are going to be great, terrible or mediocre. The middle class of the league are the guys in the bottom that have proven that they can start and be okay. Mediocrity to me is Keenum, Dalton, Taylor, Mariota, Jameis, Fitz, Brissett, Foles, Carr and Bridgewater. A few of those are debatable and there are probably more that could be added. That’s just off the top of my head.

Oh he is

Peyton as a person...could be talked into either as the player

There are varying degrees of phonies. Brees is, and has been for over a decade, a fraud. His image has been carefully crafted and manufactured to protect his future political aspirations. The reality is he isn’t a great dude. He’s no different than anyone else despite the moral high ground that he pretends to stand on. He was just exposed on a much larger scale for the phony that he has always been.

This has nothing to do with mind-reading and everything to do with stories from those who know Brees well. I’ve had this opinion of him for years and it’s documented on here. Brees the player and Brees the person are not the same. And LOL at “Brees’ principles“ if you only knew...The dude is a total hypocrite. In my personal opinion the reason that he tried so hard on his apology tour yesterday was so that people wouldn’t start telling those stories of his principles.

Brees has done a lot of good. He’s incredibly charitable. He has donated a lot to a lot of different causes. He’s one of the most important people in the history of New Orleans. He’s also manufactured. Brees is a politician; his actions are always self-serving. There are certain things that I’m not going to get into that would change people’s perception of him. He plays the role of the good, Christian leader well. Brees’ image is (or has been to this point) pretty immaculate. Brees the person, is not that.

Same guy

I used to hang out with a bunch of them.

Drew Brees has done a lot of good things. I don’t believe Drew Brees is a good person. Those things aren’t the same. He’s charitable. He’s a phony. Those are both true. He just had a rare misstep in the public eye. He accidentally showed everyone who he is. He’s done that a few times (suing his mom, Focus on Family, anthem protest). This isn’t “out of character” for Brees; this is who he is. He usually just is better at protecting his image.

Who would have thought this thread included a marriage proposal?

I was going to post that story with a gif of someone pouring gas on a fire, lol. I decided to not be “that guy.”

That’s the outrage though. 4 years later you just indicated that you don’t understand the issue any better than you did at the time. We certainly can’t move forward if in 4 years you don’t take one step or ask one question. This has been a time where he could talk and listen. No one is asking him to take a knee. They are asking him to understand their outrage. In order to do that you have to talk and listen.

The hardest part is that all of the rules are collectively bargained. Part of the reason that the NBA and NBAPA have such a better relationship is because they develop the plans together. It isn’t a bunch of owners and then a union sending proposals back and forth. They engage in the process to come up with something that both sides can agree on. The NFL ABSOLUTELY has to take that approach on this subject (especially now). They were crushed the other day for releasing that statement while acting differently. If they could address the issue TOGETHER it would be infinitely more impactful. But alas...

This is the EXACT issue that the other players are having with him. You’ve had 4 years to have these conversations. 4 years later you just indicated that you still have no idea what the grievance was. How is that possible?

I agree here but the problem is all voices aren’t the same. Drew Brees’ voice on the subject is one of the most important. He, along with Brady and Rodgers are the most recognizable white athletes in the country. They are considered leaders. His voice is WAY more important than yours or mine.

Do you think Kapernick taking a knee had any influence on those protests? Do you think that he had any influence on any of these other athletes speaking up?

Where he’s coming from? He was asked about protesting police brutality and he talked about his grandfather in the military. That’s like asking me if I like coffee and I start talking about cleaning supplies. His point was nothing. His answer was “I don’t understand the question.”

I don’t think that everyone can wrap their heads around how Brees is viewed in New Orleans either. Think about the way Buffalo views Jim Kelly and then multiply it by like 20. Brees came to New Orleans in the wake of Katrina. He came here when no one wanted to be here. Brees and the Saints played THE most important role in New Orleans rebuilding. He has given millions and done more for this city than just about anyone. With that being said that’s where the hurt comes in. This city is 60% black. They face these issues on a daily basis. Here’s a guy that has been viewed as nothing but a hero to this group not fighting with them. There is a real disappointment and outrage. They just wanted him to condemn racism and instead he switched the conversation to something that it wasn’t about. Don’t ever meet your heroes.

So when no one was watching? Got it What better way to get your message to the world than when you are home alone.

He does get the benefit of the doubt for saying what he believes!! That’s the point. Now he’s backpedaling because what he said was incredibly stupid and tone-deaf. If you remember the protest started with Kap sitting. Boyer and he discussed what would be appropriate and that’s where they got to the knee. I never said Kap wasn’t divisive and maybe that’s why the message was lost. Clearly Brees didn’t “understand” the goal.