Drew Brees Was Working on ‘Non-Existent’ Relationship with Mother at Time of Her Mysterious Death
During his record-setting career in the NFL, Drew Brees and his wife and kids have appeared together on the stadium video board numerous times celebrating his finest history-making moments. The love is evident in his face and the faces of his wife and kids. Brees’ relationship with his kids is strikingly different from the one he had with his own mother. And sadly, that relationship had an untimely and mysterious ending.
Drew Brees found success early in life
Drew Brees came from an athletic background. His father, Eugene, played basketball at Texas A&M and his mother was all-state in three sports in high school. At Westlake High School in Austin, Texas, Brees was a three-sport star himself in baseball, basketball, and football.
During his junior year in high school, Brees suffered a serious knee injury. Because of that, only Kentucky and Purdue offered him scholarships. He attended Purdue and became a record-setting quarterback for the Boilermakers.
When Drew Brees left Purdue after the 2000 season, he held Big Ten Conference records in passing yards (11,792), touchdown passes (90), total offensive yards (12,693), completions (1,026), and attempts (1,678).
Drew Brees and mom had ‘non-existent’ relationship
In an interview with the Associated Press in October 2006, Drew Brees recalled back to his senior season at Purdue. That’s when the relationship with his mother, Mina, who was a lawyer at the time, “crumbled” after he refused to hire her as his agent. He said she later undercut his dealings with other agents and tried to sell a book about him to Sports Illustrated without his knowledge.
“There is definitely history,” Brees said of his relationship with his mom. “I’ve just gotten older, and my eyes have been opened to the lies and manipulation.”
Drew Brees asked his mom that same year to stop using his picture in TV commercials as she was running for the Texas 3rd Court of Appeals. When asked about the situation, Brees said the relationship with his mom was “non-existent.”
“I think the major point here is that my mother is using me in a campaign, and I’ve made it known many times I don’t want to be involved.” His mother updated the commercials with Brees no longer mentioned.
Brees’ mom mysteriously dies
In early August 2009, Mina Brees had her business records subpoenaed after she sent letters informing several prominent Houston and Austin restaurants they had lost the legal right to use their business names under Texas business codes. She informed owners they could get them back by paying a $25,000 fee to a company. She failed to reveal she was president of the company and it shared the same address and phone number with her law office.
Brees never produced the records. She mysteriously died on August 7, 2009. Drew was excused from training camp at the time for a “family matter.” It was detailed later his mom’s death was from a prescription drug overdose and ruled a suicide.
A year later, Drew Brees released his book, “Coming Back Stronger: Unleashing the Hidden Power of Adversity.” An entire chapter of the book is devoted to his relationship with his mom and her suicide. Brees said their relationship was improving at the time of her death.
“I spent so much time on it, I feel like there’s a lot of people who have those types of issues, whether it’s with their parents or dealing with the death of a parent or a loved one. There are people who are struggling,” Brees told Yahoo.
Brees said talking about the relationship with his mom in the book was a “freeing experience.” Despite their many struggles, it’s evident Brees found some peace with his mom before the time of her tragic death. Sadly, she died before she ever met his son, which would have been her first grandchild.
How to get help: In the U.S., call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255. Or text HOME to 741-741 to connect with a trained crisis counselor at the free Crisis Text Line.
