'We are the problem': Drew Brees' wife apologizes after NFL star walks back comments on players taking a knee
NFL player Drew Brees' wife Brittany issued her own apology on Saturday, June 7, after the New Orleans Saints' quarterback apologized for his controversial comments on players who take a knee to protest police brutality in the country. Brittany, following her husband's lead, issued a statement on Instagram, stating: "We are the problem" as she vowed to do more to fight racism. Brees had issued an apology last week for saying that the National Football League players who knelt during the national anthem to protest were disrespecting the flag. His statement, which came in the backdrop of George Floyd protests, drew heavy criticism from many, including fellow NFL players and star NBA players like Lebron James.
Brittany, in her Saturday statement, wrote: "I write this with tears in my eyes and I hope you all hear our hearts." She then shared quotes from Martin Luther King Jr. and the bible, writing: "I have read these quotes and scripture 1000 times and every time I read it and the words sink into my heart. I think yes this is what it's all about. Only until the last few days, until we experienced the death threats we experienced the hate did I realize that these words were speaking directly to us. How could anyone who knows us or has had interactions with us think that Drew or I have a racist bone in our body?"
"But that's the whole point," she continued. "Somehow we as white America, we can feel good about not being racist, feel good about loving one an another as God loves us.
We can feel good about educating our children about the horrors of slavery and history. Somehow as white Americans we feel like that checks the box of doing the right thing. Not until this week did Drew and I realize THAT THIS IS THE PROBLEM."
She added that she and her husband never intended to disrespect others while attempting to respect the flag. "That's the problem we are not listening, white America is not hearing. We're not actively LOOKING for racial prejudice," she wrote in her post. "We have heard stories from men and women we have known and loved for years about the racism that occurred in their lives ... stories that were never shared or talked about because somehow they were considered normal. To all of our friends and anyone we hurt, we will do better. We want to do better, we want to HEAR you, and we will fight for you because thinking we are not part of the problem is checking the box it means we are are not doing enough. It's our job to educate ourselves. We are sorry."
Drew Brees, on Wednesday, June 3, had released a statement saying he can "never agree with anybody disrespecting the flag of the United States of America." He was referring to the NFL players, headed by Colin Kaepernick, kneeling during the national anthem to protest police brutality in the country. However, he issued an apology by Thursday, describing his comments as "insensitive" and "completely missing the mark."