Over the past couple of weeks, the debate surrounding kneeling during the national anthem has crept back into the National discourse. Some NFL players have been kneeling during the anthem for four years now and there are still many out there who see it as disrespectful to the flag. In light of the injustice that is happening all around the United States right now, the concept of kneeling has become as prevalent as ever.
Recently, Houston Texans head coach Bill O'Brien announced that he would kneel with his players when the season starts. This prompted a fan to say that JJ Watt would never be caught doing such a thing. Well, Watt didn't appreciate those comments and clapped back on Twitter, saying: "A) don’t speak for me B) if you still think it’s about disrespecting the flag or our military, you clearly haven’t been listening."
Watt received quite a bit of praise from fans for this sentiment which isn't surprising when you think about how these conversations have progressed over the last few years. Not to mention, Watt has been seen as a beacon of the Houston community so it only makes sense that he would stand in solidarity with those who are feeling oppressed.
Perhaps, we will see Watt kneeling arm-in-arm with his teammates once the season begins in September.
Shannon Sharpe Describes Phone Call With Drew Brees
Shannon Sharpe expressed forgiveness for Drew Brees' past comments.
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.
Drew Brees Was Reportedly Emotional During Apology To Teammates
Drew Brees apologized to his teammates after his remarks on kneeling for the flag.
Drew Brees had the entire football world up in arms this past week after claiming that kneeling for the National Anthem was disrespectful to the flag and that people should be standing instead. Many of his teammates took to social media where they educated him on why he was wrong and eventually, they all had a virtual meeting to discuss the topic. Following this meeting, Brees apologized for his comments and even lectured President Donald Trump on why we should stop talking about the flag.
According to reporter Nick Underhill, Brees was overcome with emotion while apologizing to his teammates as he never meant to hurt them with his words. In the meeting, Brees did everything he could to make amends and listened to his teammates talk about their experiences with black men and how their protests can make a real difference.
Being able to sit down and have a real dialog about these issues is how we are going to be able to move forward as humans, so hearing that this is what Brees did with the Saints, is certainly a positive development.
Brees isn't the only one apologizing for his stance on peaceful protests. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell recently came out in support of the players and noted that the league was wrong with their handling of Colin Kaepernick four years ago.
Adrian Peterson Reveals His Stance On Kneeling For 2020 Season
Adrian Peterson is planning on taking a stand with his peers.
Adrian Peterson is one of the most legendary running backs in the history of the NFL and despite his age, he is still putting up big numbers and excelling with the Washington Redskins. The running back has been keeping up with the political climate of the country over the past week or so, and recently, he was asked about kneeling for the anthem and whether or not that's something he would consider doing during the 2020 season.
As he explained in the clip below, he absolutely plans on supporting his fellow players and he even noted that if everyone protests, the league can't do anything about it. At the end of the day, suspending a large majority of your players is simply bad for business.
"Are they going to try to punish us all?" Peterson said. "If not playing football is going to help us save lives and change things, then that's just what it has to be."
Peterson also went on to say that he was disappointed with Drew Brees' stance on kneeling and that he should have thought about it a bit more before commenting.
As for the NFL, well, Roger Goodell recently admitted that the league messed up four years ago and that they plan on protesting with the players.
Donald Trump Gushes Over Drew Brees After "Kneeling" Remarks
Drew Brees had some teammates upset with his comments but Donald Trump seemed to love his take.
Drew Brees had the entire football world upset recently when he said that he was against people kneeling during the National Anthem as it was disrespectful to the flag. With everything going on in the world right now, people were angry with Brees' comments as they came across as both privileged and tone-deaf. Brees eventually apologized for his remarks and even hosted a meeting with his teammates to hear what they had to say.
Today, President Donald Trump came out in support of Brees and what he had to say. In the tweets below, Trump praised Brees for his ability as a quarterback and noted that what he said about the protests was perfectly fine and that he never should have apologized.
Per President Trump:
"I am a big fan of Drew Brees. I think he’s truly one of the greatest quarterbacks, but he should not have taken back his original stance on honoring our magnificent American Flag. OLD GLORY is to be revered, cherished, and flown high. We should be standing up straight and tall, ideally with a salute, or a hand on heart. There are other things you can protest, but not our Great American Flag - NO KNEELING!"
This take from the President shouldn't be all that surprising especially given his record on various issues. If you're Brees, you can't help but feel like this whole saga went further than it really needed to.
Diddy Dances With Kids With Cancer On "Ellen"
Diddy finally got to dance with the kids from Fighting All Monsters, who have turned his song “Bad Boy For Life” into a cancer-fighting anthem, after surprising them on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show.”
Diddy has finally fulfilled the kids from Fighting All Monsters’ wishes that he dance with them to his song, “Bad Boy For Life,” after a video of these kids fighting cancer went viral. At the beginning of the year, tons of kids from Fighting All Monsters (FAM), a non-profit organization that strives to fight childhood cancer, took part in a viral video in which they asked Diddy to dance with them to “Bad Boy For Life.” Diddy’s 2001 track, which features Black Rob and Mark Curry, has been an anthem for these brave children ever since FAM was founded by Milk Tyson in December 2018. Tyson has explained that the song’s lyrics and spirit resonate with the kids and their parents because, “every day we meet these health challenges with a determination that says no matter what happens to us, ‘we ain’t goin’ nowhere…we are here for life!'”
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Diddy responded, exclaiming that he was “so inspired” by the viral video. “These kids are so strong and I’m humbled they’ve found strength in one of my songs,” he wrote. “They are fearless and motivating me like nothing before. And of course I’ll dance with all of you! Every time I’m feeling my energy shift I get up and dance. Keeps my vibrations high! I’ll dance with y’all everyday! Never stop believing… and remember WE AIN’T GOING NOWHERE!!!!” Now, Diddy finally got the opportunity to dance with them for real, as he surprised eight of the FAM kids on an episode of Ellen that aired on Thursday.
Before she brought Diddy out, Ellen asked the kids, whose names are Layla Mosely, Ke’Yair Stephens, Zoey Nieves, Imani Hollis, Phillip Escalante, Maddie Kelsoe, Will Walker and Baylee Hankins, why they picked his song as their anthem. Will mirrored FAM’s founder’s words, indicating that the song’s lyrics and message about surviving and fighting resonated with them. At first, Ellen told them that Diddy was unfortunately on tour in Miami and couldn’t be there, but then “realized” she “got the dates wrong” and brought him out to surprise them.
Diddy hugged all eight of them before they took their seats, where he thanked them for reaching out. “I was so touched that this song that has helped me get through so many trials and tribulations is fuelling you guys to know the power you have in yourself, to believe that we ain’t going nowhere,” he told them. Ellen then revealed that Shutterfly had donated $25,000 to the Fighting All Monsters organization, before the children finally got their chance to dance with Diddy. The whole thing just might make you shed a tear.
Swae Lee Reveals What He Hopes To Do At The Super Bowl One Day
Swae Lee is dreaming big.
Thanks to some phenomenal play from the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers, both teams are now in the Super Bowl which will take place on February 2nd in Miami. These two teams are truly the best in the NFL and fans can’t wait to see who comes away with the big win. There are plenty of big festivities planned including the halftime shoe and National Anthem. This year, the halftime show is being performed by Demi Lovato who is making a comeback following her overdose in 2018.
There are plenty of musicians who would love to be in Lovato’s position, including Swae Lee of Rae Sremmurd. During a recent interview with TMZ, Swae Lee admitted that he would love to sing the National Anthem at the Super Bowl. Of course, he’ll have to wait until next year if he wants to do it.
Swae Lee certainly has the voice for the Star-Spangled Banner so we’d be excited to see this actually take place. Members of the hip-hop community rarely get shine when it comes to National Anthems which means Swae Lee’s inclusion would be groundbreaking.
Let us know if you’d like to Swae Lee perform the anthem at the Super Bowl next year. Also, tell us who you think is going to win the big game.
