Several days after New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees first gave his comments about how he’ll never agree with protesting during the national anthem, his wife, Brittany Brees, has now shared her thoughts on the situation as well.
In her post that was later shared to the Brees Dream Foundation’s account, Brittany stated that she and her husband didn’t realize until this week that having their viewpoint regarding the flag and protests meant that they weren’t listening to the black community.
“WE ARE THE PROBLEM” is how she started off her statement.
“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 notions of what the flag means to us,” Brees wrote.
“That’s the problem of not listening, white America is not hearing. We’re not actively LOOKING racial prejudice. “
Drew Brees issued two apologies on Thursday as well as a reply to President Donald Trump who thought he shouldn’t have apologized in the first place.
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Full statement from Brittany Brees:
“WE ARE THE PROBLEM,” Brees wrote. “I write this with tears in my eyes and I hope you all hear my heart. 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 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 another as God loves us.
“We can feel good about educating our children about the horrors of slavery and history. We can read every book 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 unbiased with no prejudice. To teach them about all of the African Americans that have fought for 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 notions of what the flag means to us.
“That’s the problem of not listening, white America is not hearing. We’re not actively LOOKING racial prejudice. We have heard stories from men and women we have known and loved for years about the racism that has occurred in their lives, stories that were never shared or talked about because somehow they were considered normal.
“To all of my friends, we will do better. We want to do better. We want to HEAR you, and will fight for you because thinking we are not part of the problem is checking the box, it means we are not doing enough. I am sorry. We are sorry.”
