Saints' Brees takes first step toward mending relationships

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

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

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

When Brees expressed his position on the anthem 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.

The intensity and frequency of protests stemming from Floyd’s killing less than two weeks ago have signified that wider segments of the 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 the

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

This week the 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 no wrong — marching protesters could be heard slandering the quarterback. Videos appeared on social media of people burning Brees' No. 9 Saints jerseys.

While his apology was the first step, time will tell how well the 41-year-old Brees can repair personal and business relationships as what could be his final season with the 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 the first time was that Drew would elaborate more on racism and the sentiments of the black community. He admitted he missed the mark.

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

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

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

He has dedicated untold hours and spent about $35 million on charitable contributions or commitments along the Gulf Coast since joining the 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 Panthers’ tight end Chris Manhertz, a former Brees teammate in New Orleans, echoed Davis' sentiments.

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

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

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