Drew Brees had the entire football world upset last week after his controversial stance on kneeling during the National Anthem. Brees labeled the act as disrespectful to the flag and the military which a sentiment that has certainly been shared by others in the past. Brees was quickly called out for his take and eventually, he apologized to his teammates and changed course. Brees seems to be in support of protesters now, and he is right back in the good graces of Saints fans.
Shannon Sharpe was incredibly critical of Brees’ original stance and even told the quarterback to retire. Today on Undisputed, Sharpe revealed that he had a phone conversation with Brees and it was quite productive. Sharpe noted that he forgives Brees although he still wants him to follow through and continue being an advocate for social change.
“I said Drew, for one second we didn’t want you to be Drew Brees, we wanted you to be one of us. What hurt the most is that it came from you. No white QB in the history of the NFL has had black support like you,” Sharpe said. “I felt better after taking to Drew Brees. It took a lot of courage from him to reach out to me. I told Drew, ‘Time will tell, but I’m in your corner because I believe you can help us get to where we need to be.'”
Brees’ shift in opinion is a prime example of how important it is to have a dialog about these topics. A world in which people admit when they’re wrong is a world we should all strive to live in.