Drew Brees: Controversial comments

[machine gun kelly]

My observation on Brees’s comments is simply love one another as you’d want to be loved.  Demonstrate peacefully and lawfully to bring attention to a real deep seeded problem.  Someone placed in another thread how can you not kneel for the flag, but supposed to kneel for the symbol of Christ.  Regardless of you’re spiritual or religious beliefs, kneeling in any of the Christian faiths or in the Muslim faith is simply a sign of reverence for you’re higher power. I understand kneeling during the flag is a peaceful way of demonstrating contempt for injustices primarily directed at the police.  
 

I personally think people of all faiths, race, ethnicity, and creed should peacefully and lawfully demonstrate as MLK did in the 60’s.  He’s one of my heroes, just like what Gandhi accomplished for his country.  Looting is wrong and against the law.  There is no justifying it.  Kneeling during the flag is disrespectful, but players have a right to do it, just like burning a flag. It shows a tremendous disrespect for people and their families who fought for their country like my dad and two uncles in Korea, my other uncle during Vietnam.  Thankfully they all made it back, but some of their friends didn’t.  There are a lot of ways for athletes who have a bigger pulpit and I applaud them for using their voice to bring to light injustices.

 

I won’t bore all of you with details, but my best rep in Tallahassee was disrespected in front of me more time than I can count when in Southern GA.  I felt horrible for him and not that he needed it spoke up for him with some racist doctors.  I told those doctors, and my rep, that account is fired and he is not go back and endure those biggest.  He’s such a good man, he said Dan, I can take it.  I told I can’t and won’t.  My point that I have embedded into my generation is to never participate or allow off color remarks etc.  Thankfully they have and even my daughter adopted from China was brutally teased over the Pandemic.  Needless to say the Principal suspended several students at a Christian school.  It’s only a small example of what people of color have endured and is a sign of a lack of intelligence and a narrow minded view of life.  So did Brees say anything wrong?  Not in my eyes, but I respect others who feel differently.  What is insane is every patrol guide across America strictly forbids Choke holds of any form and I sincerely hope that officer goes away for 25 to life for Murder 2.

 

I truly feel terrible for the family and friends of Mr. Floyd, and want to believe if that happened here in FL in front of me I’d intervene even if it meant me getting arrested.  I know he is in my prayers, and hope something good comes out of respectful demonstrations win the day.  If everyone just treated others like they do at Xmas time (you know how people are just a little nicer to each other at that time) how much better would all of us be as a community.  I know I am normally a very kind person to my fellow man, but will work a little harder at going the extra mile for those of all backgrounds.

[billrooter]

1 minute ago, Hapless Bills Fan said:

 

No, because you made the segue from "Drew Brees taking crap for his opinion" to "Drew Brees has no right to voice his opinion" and put your opinion as a statement "the National Anthem is never a place to protest". 

Understand that different people have different views on that.  It doesn't make them un-American.  The very heart of being American IMHO is the Free Speech right, including the right to protest national symbols.

 

I do understand that people have different opinions that is what this whole discussion is about.

[billrooter]

4 minutes ago, SWATeam said:

And many gave their lives so that we may live in a free country where protests are allowed.

But the timing of those protests is what I disagree with not the protests themselves.

[Kirby Jackson]

If you guys think this was “an innocent mistake by a good guy” I’ve got a bridge for sale. 

[FireChans]

4 minutes ago, Kirby Jackson said:

I really don’t want to go too far down that road but know a bunch of guys that were/are on that team. My ex and his ex were best friends and we became close (I was supposed to be in their wedding but it didn’t happen). He’d get a few drinks in him and start telling stories. Brees is pretty fake I’ll just leave it at that. His image isn’t who he is.

 

In terms of the thread this has to be tough for y’all. It’s arguably the biggest football story of the offseason and it’s so divisive what do you do? Hopefully we can all remain respectful.

 

My opinion is that Brees knew what he was doing. He could have stepped around it easily. Now he’s backpedaling and trying to save face because they’re burning his jersey in New Orleans!! He went from messiah to pariah in minutes. He got caught up in a moment of honesty. What’s that Maya Angelou quote? “When someone shows you who they are believe them?”
 

Brees knows damn well that the kneeling was never protesting the flag, military, America, etc... The idea came from a conversation with Nate Boyer, a green beret, and Kap. That’s why the backlash has come so hard. No one is asking Drew to kneel. They were asking him his thoughts on what Kapernick & co. were trying to achieve. His comments showed that he either doesn’t understand or doesn’t care to understand what the goal was. He has had years to be having conversations with guys like Malcolm Jenkins about “what can I do to help?” He could have done all of that without ever having to take a knee. 4 years later, he still believes that it had anything to do with the military? He’s either completely tone-deaf or he didn’t care to listen. 

I actually disagree with your characterization.

 

Why doesn’t Brees get the benefit of the doubt saying something that he believes, even when it will earn him backlash? Because Malcolm Jenkins disagrees?

 

Also, laugh out loud funny that, “it was a Green Beret’s idea” is a real defense. The “I have a black friend” defense. No one person speaks for everyone.

 

Kaepernick went out of his way to be divisive. He wore the pig socks to practice. 

[Kirby Jackson]

1 minute ago, billrooter said:

But the timing of those protests is what I disagree with not the protests themselves.

What timing would you have approved of?

[Andrew Son]

3 minutes ago, billrooter said:

But the timing of those protests is what I disagree with not the protests themselves.

I see.  Maybe you could advise on a better time that would be more convenient for you?

[Kirby Jackson]

Just now, FireChans said:

I actually disagree with your characterization.

 

Why doesn’t Brees get the benefit of the doubt saying something that he believes, even when it will earn him backlash? Because Malcolm Jenkins disagrees?

 

Also, laugh out loud funny that, “it was a Green Beret’s idea” is a real defense. The “I have a black friend” defense. No one person speaks for everyone.

 

Kaepernick went out of his way to be divisive. He wore the pig socks to practice. 

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. 

[billrooter]

4 minutes ago, Kirby Jackson said:

What timing would you have approved of?

Just about any time besides during the national anthem, how about his own personal time when he wasn't making millions of dollars to play a game?

Edited June 4, 2020 by billrooter

[Kirby Jackson]

Just now, billrooter said:

Just about any time besides during the national anthem, how about his own personal time when he wasn't making millions of dollars to play a game?

So when no one was watching? Got it

 

What better way to get your message to the world than when you are home alone.

[Andrew Son]

1 minute ago, billrooter said:

Just about any time besides during the national anthem, how about his own personal time when he wasn't making millions of dollars to play a game?

Yes, protest when no one is watching, cares, or can be offended.

[FireChans]

Just now, Kirby Jackson said:

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. 

No, he doesn’t. Not one person who disagrees with what Brees said anything close to defending his comments. They haven’t expressed that they understand where HE’S coming from. It’s been basically blind rage.

 

There’s this idea in this country that if you have “bad opinions,” rather than come to a middle ground, you should be shouted into the stratosphere. Did Ed Reed calling Drew Brees a “sucka” 15 times change anyone’s mind or do anything positive? No.

 

He’s backpedaling because it’s a good PR move.

[billrooter]

2 minutes ago, SWATeam said:

I see.  Maybe you could advise on a better time that would be more convenient for you?

I am not the only one that thinks it was disrespectful to protest during the national anthem and it has nothing this do with convenience.

[RiotAct]

just an observation: I think a lot of people, especially on social media, have been throwing the term “racist” around without truly understanding what it means.

[Andrew Son]

Just now, billrooter said:

I am not the only one that thinks it was disrespectful to protest during the national anthem and it has nothing this do with convenience.

You are allowed to think whatever you want.  And if you give your opinion, others are allowed to give theirs.  That's how it works.

[Hapless Bills Fan]

2 minutes ago, billrooter said:

I do see what your saying no doubt, but to me the Flag is a symbol many have given their lifes for and it's disrespectful to not only them but their families as well to protest during the anthem.

 

I understand your point of view.  Understand I come from a family with several military veterans and live in a neighborhood with military vets/current guardsmen and with LEO and LEO relatives, and that many of them (I won't claim I know the opinions of all) do NOT see it that way.

 

They see it as "we put our lives on the line for America" and what America means to them - which means a free country with freedom of speech and space for different opinions.  Revering that is different than forced or mandated reverence for the Flag as a symbol of that country.   Military Veteran and former Navy Chief Warrant Officer Jim Wright put it very well IMHO when he reiterated the phrase "those of us in uniform used to say, “I don’t agree with what you said, but I’ll defend to the death your right to say it.” " 

 

I personally don't think many of our fallen soldiers (and LEO) gave their lives for the flag.  Some gave their lives because they were drafted and had no choice.  Some gave their lives because they saw the military (or becoming a LEO) as their best option to better themselves and their families.  And some gave their lives because they think America is worth fighting for - but to some of them, that America worth fighting for means an America where it's OK to protest, including protesting the anthem or flag.  I personally don't think too many of them gave their lives for a Symbol. 

I do know the Flag is an important symbol to many - I just can't escape the observation that many who seem the frothiest about flag-waving and equating reverence for the Symbol with reverence for the Country, did in fact NOT serve and have NOT put their bodies in harms way for it nor have their family members.  And many who are the frothiest about it also are either ignorant of, or willfully disregard the Flag Code and disrespect the flag in all kinds of ways from putting it on plates and covering it with ketsup to putting it on flip-flops and striding it into the muck.  That actually really bothers me - as in REALLY bothers me - but I usually manage to refrain from opining a gristly fate for those who do stuff I disagree with.

 

There are (IMO) really two broad points of view here - you are encapsulating one of them, and I am (probably not very well) encapsulating another.

 

Returning to football - I think Brees has 100% right to say whatever he likes, but again - freedom of speech does not mean freedom from consequences, from clap-back or disagreement.

 

 

 

[teef]

Just now, RiotAct said:

just an observation: I think a lot of people, especially on social media, have been throwing the term “racist” around without truly understanding what it means.

we have people on this board who do the very same thing.  

Edited June 4, 2020 by teef

[Andrew Son]

Just now, Jaraxxus said:

 

This is absolutely, unequivocally correct.

 

So others are not allowed to give their opinions on your opinions?

[Gugny]

28 minutes ago, billrooter said:

 

Why because we have different opinions, are you allowed to protest on the job or during the Anthem? IMO it is a slap in the face to everyone who has ever defended our rights.

 

I "defended your rights," and I never felt a face-slap.

 

Stop telling veterans, or anyone else, how to feel.

 

This isn't about a goddamn flag, an anthem or the military.  You've had four years to figure that out.

 

[billrooter]

2 minutes ago, SWATeam said:

Yes, protest when no one is watching, cares, or can be offended.

Seems as if alot of people are seeing the so called protests that are going on now doesn't it?