Editorial

Shannon Sharpe Now Says He’s In Drew Brees’ ‘Corner’ After Originally Saying He Should Retire

OPINION
Wild Card Round - Minnesota Vikings v New Orleans Saints

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David Hookstead Sports And Entertainment Editor
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Shannon Sharpe no longer wants New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees to retire.

Brees set off a firestorm last week when he had the audacity to suggest it was disrespectful to kneel during the national anthem, which is an opinion shared by many Americans. (RELATED: David Hookstead Is The True King In The North When It Comes To College Football)

He quickly released two apologies, and Sharpe originally told him he should just retire from the NFL! Yes, Brees should have retired for wanting people to stand for the anthem!

Well, Sharpe has now done a 180. He said Monday that he’s now in Drew Brees’ “corner” after speaking with him privately. You can hear his full comments below.

This is honestly getting absurd. Brees said he doesn’t think you should kneel for the anthem. People lost their minds.

Again, this is not a fringe opinion at all. In fact, it’s an opinion shared by millions of people. Yet, he was beaten down into two apologies.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

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.

A post shared by Drew Brees (@drewbrees) on

Now he’s apparently calling former NFL players in an attempt to seek their approval! At what point will Brees have done enough?

This entire situation is outrageous. The outrage directed towards the Saints star is insane, and Sharpe ever calling for him to retire is wildly dumb.

I can already tell the 2020 season is going to be a disaster. What a damn shame. The last thing America needs right now is more division when we could be using football to unite people.