Editorial

Tony Dungy Defends Drew Brees, Says Shutting Down People You Disagree With ‘Doesn’t Make Sense’

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David Hookstead Sports And Entertainment Editor
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Legendary NFL coach Tony Dungy came to Drew Brees’ defense with some Thursday comments.

Brees apologized Thursday after saying he didn’t agree with protesting and kneeling during the national anthem. (RELATED: David Hookstead Is The True King In The North When It Comes To College Football)

 

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I would like to apologize to my friends, teammates, the City of New Orleans, the black community, NFL community and anyone I hurt with my comments yesterday. In speaking with some of you, it breaks my heart to know the pain I have caused. In an attempt to talk about respect, unity, and solidarity centered around the American flag and the national anthem, I made comments that were insensitive and completely missed the mark on the issues we are facing right now as a country. They lacked awareness and any type of compassion or empathy. Instead, those words have become divisive and hurtful and have misled people into believing that somehow I am an enemy. This could not be further from the truth, and is not an accurate reflection of my heart or my character. This is where I stand: I stand with the black community in the fight against systemic racial injustice and police brutality and support the creation of real policy change that will make a difference. I condemn the years of oppression that have taken place throughout our black communities and still exists today. I acknowledge that we as Americans, including myself, have not done enough to fight for that equality or to truly understand the struggles and plight of the black community. I recognize that I am part of the solution and can be a leader for the black community in this movement. I will never know what it’s like to be a black man or raise black children in America but I will work every day to put myself in those shoes and fight for what is right. I have ALWAYS been an ally, never an enemy. I am sick about the way my comments were perceived yesterday, but I take full responsibility and accountability. I recognize that I should do less talking and more listening…and when the black community is talking about their pain, we all need to listen. For that, I am very sorry and I ask your forgiveness.

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The moment Brees said the comments during an interview, I think most of us knew it was only a matter of time before he had to apologize.

Dungy wasn’t impressed by the mob shutting down Brees and thinks it’s okay for people to express their opinions. Dungy said the following during an interview with Pat McAfee:

He [Drew Brees] can’t be afraid to say that and we can’t be afraid to say ‘Ok, Drew, I don’t agree with you but let’s talk about this. Let’s sit down and talk about it’ We can’t just say anytime something happens I don’t agree with, ‘I’m done with that. I’m done with this person.’ That doesn’t make sense. We have to be better than that.

You can listen to his full comments below. Trust me when I say you’re going to want to hear it all.

Honestly, maybe we just need to make Tony Dungy the leader of America. That guy hits the nail on the head on a regular basis.

Instead of allowing emotions to dictate his attitude and decision-making process, he speaks from a common sense standpoint.

Even if you disagree with Drew Brees, which I find hard to do, there’s nothing wrong with the Saints quarterback stating he’s not for kneeling during the anthem.

You know who else holds that view? A substantial portion of Americans. It’s not a fringe belief. It’s a very mainstream view!

We need a lot more common sense like that brought to the table by Tony Dungy. He’s the definition of a class act and we could all learn a thing or two from him.