A number of athletes from across the sports world have spoken out about the murder of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer that sparked protests in all 50 states (and numerous major international cities) over the past week. Among those was Drew Brees, who like so many participated in #BlackOutTuesday, posting a black square to Instagram on Tuesday in supposed solidarity with protesters and the black community in the fight against racial injustice and police brutality.
However, on Wednesday, Brees was asked about Colin Kaepernick and other NFL players protests about the same thing that has brought millions into the streets around the world, and continued to insist he doesn’t support anything that “disrespects the flag.” Brees spoke of his grandfathers who fought in World War II and how the anthem and flag represent those who fought for freedom, and quickly received backlash from teammates and beyond in the sports world.
Michael Thomas was among the most vocal of his teammates in offering their frustration and disbelief that he still doesn’t get the message and purpose of the protests. LeBron James explained why his comments about his grandfather fighting in World War II fails to understand the thousands of black veterans that returned from war only to be on the receiving end of racism and hate despite also having fought for freedom. Aaron Rodgers even posted to Instagram about how Brees and others continue to misconstrue the point of protests from Kaepernick and others.
Shortly after, Saints safety Malcolm Jenkins joined that group in offering a response to Brees by posting a forceful video echoing what LeBron said about how Brees’ statement fails to understand or care about the experience of the black veterans that fought with his grandfather and ended with a forceful “sometimes you should shut the f*ck up.”
. @MalcolmJenkins had some strong words for @drewbrees after Drew comes out with his views on knelling during the National Athem. If this doesn’t say it perfectly, idk what does. Forever an Eagle. #BlackLivesMatter pic.twitter.com/lQeDWjg8N4
— ⚡️ (@DrewTooSavvy) June 3, 2020
Jenkins said he filmed the video before talking with Brees and posted it after, but would later delete it. Still, the message and fury over Brees’ comments are more than understandable. Jenkins and others who participated in the protests have been saying forever that they aren’t protesting the flag or the anthem, but are protesting systemic racism and police brutality, using their platform prior to games to do so.
Jenkins would later post another video — he said he recorded a number — and while it ends with a less aggressive closing remark (this time he says “I can’t let this slide”) the overall message remains the same, calling out Brees for not understanding his privilege and not being a willing advocate for the people he calls his brothers on the field.
I recorded a few videos when thinking of how to respond to Drew Brees, I don’t take any of it back-I meant what I said-I removed the 1st video because I knew it be more about the headlines. I want people to understand how those of us struggling with what’s going on feel pic.twitter.com/T054qt0YEz
— Malcolm Jenkins (@MalcolmJenkins) June 3, 2020
Protests aren’t meant to be comfortable, they’re meant to cause people to take notice and to capture the attention of people otherwise unaffected by these issues, you have to protest during times they are paying attention. Jenkins said he hopes Brees “rectifies [his comments] with real action” and it will be very interesting to see how Brees responds after being swiftly criticized by some of his most prominent teammates.
