Saints' Brees takes first step toward mending relationships

Drew Brees w realizes he'd fallen out of touch.

His contemporaries drove that home when y pilloried him this week for repeating a long-held conviction he'd always felt comfortable expressing.

In wake of police killing of George Floyd, Brees repeated his opposition to kneeling during national anm. And biting backlash that followed prompted Saints' star quarterback to issue a public apology Thursday in which he ackwledged he totally “missed mark.”

When Brees expressed his position on anm three years ago, he was one of many voices in a crowded conversation. But when he repeated it Wednesday, he learned in humbling fashion how times have changed.

intensity and frequency of protests stemming from Floyd’s killing less than two weeks ago have signified that wider segments of US population view police brutality and racial injustice as matters of greater urgency.

“I recognize that I should do less talking and more listening,” Brees wrote in

In 2017 many teams opted for compromise solutions that did t involve kneeling, even as y sought to carry forward former San Francisco quarterback Colin Kaepernick's protest of same social issues that w surround Floyd's killing. Many teams opted to remain standing with locked arms, reminiscent of civil rights protests. Saints, Brees included, chose to kneel moments before anm and n stand as it began.

This week same sentiment during a Yahoo Finance interview drew widespread condemnation. A number of high-profile athletes, including

Later Wednesday night in New Orleans — where Brees could seemingly do wrong — marching protesters could be heard slandering quarterback. Videos appeared on social media of people burning Brees' . 9 Saints jerseys.

While his apology was first step, time will tell how well 41-year-old Brees can repair personal and business relationships as what could be his final season with Saints nears.

New Orleans linebacker Demario Davis, an outspoken advocate for racial justice, suggested during a CNN interview that Saints players would be able to accept Brees' apology.

"That is a form of true leadership,” Davis said. “That’s taking ownership. What we had hoped first time was that Drew would elaborate more on racism and sentiments of black community. He admitted he missed mark.

“For him to come out and say ‘I missed mark, I’ve been insensitive but what I’m going to start doing is listening and learning from black community and finding ways that I can help m.’ I think that’s a model for all of America.”

But this isn't first time Brees' has found himself on defensive for way he chose to express his beliefs.

Despite any missteps, Brees has been one of most respected players in NFL for reasons beyond his record-setting play on field.

He has dedicated untold hours and spent about $35 million on charitable contributions or commitments along Gulf Coast since joining Saints 2006, when he became a leading advocate for New Orleans’ recovery from Hurricane Katrina.

Recently, he donated $5 million to coronavirus relief efforts in Louisiana.

Brees' track record may be one reason Carolina Panrs’ tight end Chris Manhertz, a former Brees teammate in New Orleans, echoed Davis' sentiments.

“It takes somebody of character to ackwledge that y’re wrong and y messed up in a way,” Manhertz said. “Everybody has ir own perspective and I can’t take that away from him but it’s just a matter of ackwledging what is going on and being empatic. Things like that go a long way in terms of understanding things that you may t have been exposed to or experienced.”

That doesn't mean Brees still doesn't have more work to do to back up his empatic shift in tone.

“It's t just saying we want to change,” Davis said on CBS Sports Radio. “It's actions that's actually going to allow us to change.”