Drew Brees' apology showed 'true leadership', says Saints team-mate Demario Davis

Drew Brees displayed "true leadership" by apologising for his comments on NFL players who protest during the national anthem, according to New Orleans Saints team-mate Demario Davis.

Saints quarterback Brees came under fire on Wednesday for saying he will "never agree with anybody disrespecting the flag" by taking a knee for The Star-Spangled Banner, as former San Francisco 49ers QB Colin Kaepernick did in 2016 to protest against police brutality and racial injustice.

The death of George Floyd while in police custody last week has brought those issues back to the fore, with protesters and sports stars across the world kneeling in a show of solidarity.

Brees' response was described as "hurtful" and "insensitive" by New Orleans team-mate Malcolm Jenkins, while NBA superstar LeBron James said kneeling had "nothing to do" with disrespecting the flag.

On Thursday Brees, the NFL's all-time leader in passing yardage and touchdown passes, posted a lengthy Instagram statement in which he said sorry for comments that "completely missed the mark", and the apology was welcomed by eight-year veteran Davis.

"Hearing Drew's apology, I think that is a form of true leadership," he told CNN.

"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. So 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 because historically, in general, most of America has missed the mark in not hearing the cries."

 

 

 

 

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I would like to apologize to my friends, teammates, the City of New Orleans, the black community, NFL community and anyone I hurt with my comments yesterday. In speaking with some of you, it breaks my heart to know the pain I have caused. In an attempt to talk about respect, unity, and solidarity centered around the American flag and the national anthem, I made comments that were insensitive and completely missed the mark on the issues we are facing right now as a country. They lacked awareness and any type of compassion or empathy. Instead, those words have become divisive and hurtful and have misled people into believing that somehow I am an enemy. This could not be further from the truth, and is not an accurate reflection of my heart or my character. This is where I stand: I stand with the black community in the fight against systemic racial injustice and police brutality and support the creation of real policy change that will make a difference. I condemn the years of oppression that have taken place throughout our black communities and still exists today. I acknowledge that we as Americans, including myself, have not done enough to fight for that equality or to truly understand the struggles and plight of the black community. I recognize that I am part of the solution and can be a leader for the black community in this movement. I will never know what it’s like to be a black man or raise black children in America but I will work every day to put myself in those shoes and fight for what is right. I have ALWAYS been an ally, never an enemy. I am sick about the way my comments were perceived yesterday, but I take full responsibility and accountability. I recognize that I should do less talking and more listening...and when the black community is talking about their pain, we all need to listen. For that, I am very sorry and I ask your forgiveness.

A post shared by Drew Brees (@drewbrees) on Jun 4, 2020 at 5:22am PDT

Davis, a prominent voice in the Saints locker room, added: "For him to admit that he was wrong and say, 'I can do better and I will do better'. I think that is leadership at its finest.

"That's not easy; to come out and admit when you're wrong. For a long time I feel like a lot of people have taken that posture of not wanting to admit that they're wrong.

"For him to do that, I think it's very symbolic of America - especially all the ethnic groups that aren't people of colour or black people - in understanding, 'Hey, it's okay, you might have got it wrong, but don't get it wrong now'.

"That's what we have to be as a country. We can't get it wrong this time."