Over the last several days, star quarterback Drew Brees has received much criticism for his stance on kneeling during the national anthem. The New Orleans Saints quarterback’s comments demonstrated a lack of understanding. They were incredibly insensitive to the social injustices that the black communities continue to face in the United States daily. He has since apologized for his statement, but that hasn’t stopped the backlash he has faced. Drew Brees’ wife has opened up to reveal that their family has received death threats.

Drew Brees’ comments on kneeling during the national anthem

There has been a significant pushback toward the justice system in the United States after yet another African-American man, George Floyd, lost his life after being mistreated by the police.

It has put forth the conversation around the possibility of players kneeling during the 2020 season to bring more attention to the social injustices and systemic racial issues that the black community faces. That saw Drew Brees step forward with a strong stance during an interview with Yahoo Finance as he voiced that he would never agree with someone that disrespects the flag.

Brees also stated that he believes standing during the national anthem with your hand over your heart would bring about unity and be part of the solution. It didn’t take long for him to face an intense backlash for his insensitive comments and showed his lack of understanding of why players chose to kneel. Brees has since apologized twice for his remarks while he has spoken to several teams and held a team meeting to further voice his remorse for his statement.

Brees also decided to respond to President Donald Trump’s tweet to oppose the backlash he received for him regarding his apology regarding kneeling. It has been a situation that has more than damaged his reputation but seen his family impacted by the entire matter in another more concerning manner.

Drew Brees’ wife reveals that their family has received death threats

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WE ARE THE PROBLEM . I write this with tears in my eyes and I hope you all hear our hearts. 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 . 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. We can read books to our children about Martin Luther King, Malcolm X., Hank Aaron, Barack Obama, Rosa parks, Harriet Tubman.. and feel like we are doing our part to raise our children to love , be unbiased and with no prejudice. To teach them about all of the African Americans that have fought for and risked their lives against racial injustice. 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. To say “I don’t agree with disrespecting the flag “.. I now understand was also saying I don’t understand what the problem really is, I don’t understand what you’re fighting for, and I’m not willing to hear you because of our preconceived notion‘s of what that flag means to us. That’s the problem we are not listening, white America is not hearing. We’re not actively LOOKING for racial prejudice. 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 ?? -Brittany Brees

A post shared by Brees Dream Foundation (@breesdreamfoundation) on Jun 5, 2020 at 1:55pm PDT

There have been many outraged by Drew Brees’ initial comments concerning kneeling during the national anthem.

However, the backlash was taken a step further as his wife, Brittany Brees, stated on an Instagram post through the Brees Dream Foundation that her family has received death threats. (H/T TMZ)

“WE ARE THE PROBLEM,” Brittany said … “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.”

The fact that it has reached that point speaks to how frustrated are with Brees’ comments concerning kneeling during the national anthem. It’s certainly way too far to go to that extent to threaten someone’s life over remarks, but it further underlines how much his statements disappointed and hurt people.

Drew Brees has plenty of work to do

While the death threats are no way an acceptable response back to Drew Brees and wife, it does show the level of the impact his comments made.

Brees may have apologized profusely for remarks; he has plenty of work to do with his actions to make steps in the right direction. His comments will be viewed as his true belief about the situation while shining a greater light on his ignorance toward the social injustices that the black community continues to deal with daily.

There may be those that never forgive Brees for his remarks, but it’s a chance for him to embrace the change and become aware and conscious of what many of his teammates deal with, and many other minorities have to go through on many occasions. Actions do speak louder than words, but it will be a long path toward him regaining anywhere near the same respect he had before.