On the same day that Drew Brees made it his sovereign duty to be dead-ass wrong, some of the biggest names in the NFL opted to counter that narrative.
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As the rest of the world was preoccupied with protesting the death of George Floyd, Brees spewed some ridiculous rhetoric about Colin Kaepernickโs national anthem protests. Specifically, that he will โnever agree with anybody disrespecting the flag of the United States of America or our country.โ I mustโve missed the memo as to when Kap ever disrespected the flag, but considering our current climate, this unseasoned take couldnโt have been any more obtuse. Especially when you factor in that Kaepernick was quite literally protesting the same police brutality that stole George Floydโs life.
Clap it up for the village idiot, everyone.
In response, more than 15 players, that include the likes of Odell Beckham Jr., Zeke Elliot and Patrick Mahomes, dropped a video condemning racism and demanding that the NFL admit that it was dead ass wrong for shutting down players whoโve protested during the national anthem.
โWe will not be silenced,โ they say in the video. โWe assert our right to peacefully protest. It shouldnโt take this long to admit.โ
They also issue an ultimatum of sorts: โOn behalf of the National Football League, this is what we, the players, would like to hear you state: โWe, the National Football League, condemn racism and the systematic oppression of black people. We, the National Football League, admit wrong in silencing our players from peacefully protesting. We, the National Football League, believe Black Lives Matter.โโ
This is powerful stuff that should dispel any notion that black NFL players donโt use their platforms to address societal issuesโeven though white players curiously donโt bear the same responsibility.
Also of note, TMZ reports that the mastermind behind this video was none other than superstar receiver Michael Thomas; the same Michael Thomas who just so happens to be Breesโ teammate.
โOne of my brothers made a public statement yesterday that I disagreed with,โ Thomas tweeted in response to Breesโ foolishness. โHe apologized & I accept it because thatโs what we are taught to do as Christians. Now back to the movement! #GeorgeFloydโ
For those wondering, Thomas dropped his video several hours after publicly accepting Breesโ apology, presumably to send a message to his quarterback as well as the rest of the league that the bullshit must stop.
The NFL has yet to publicly comment on the video, but donโt hold your breath waiting for them to repeat that Black Lives Matter. Even though the world tries convince us otherwise.
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