Brittany Brees wants her followers to know that she’s still learning. In a post to the Brees Dream Foundation Instagram page, the wife of New Orleans Saint quarterback Drew Brees issued a lengthy apology in which she explained how much work she and her husband still have to do to understand racism in America.
The post comes after comments Drew made last week suggesting that, in spite of the racial unrest across the country, he was still opposed to kneeling during the national anthem as a form of protest. The comments sparked a severe backlash, and Drew has since issued an apology on Instagram , promising to do more to educate himself on issues of race in America.
Now, his wife has weighed in offering a very similar sentiment.
“WE ARE THE PROBLEM,” she wrote at the start of the post.
The post featured three quotes highlighting the dangers of remaining silent. Brittany said that she was writing the post with tears in her eyes, explaining that she didn’t fully understand what those quotes meant until she started receiving the death threats and hatred following her husband’s comments.
She said that, initially, she didn’t understand how anyone could think that either of them was racist, and then realized that that was the whole point. She described thinking that raising kids to be unbiased and unprejudiced was enough, that it “checks the box” that proves that you are not racist. Now, though, Brittany realizes that she can do more to help.
Brittany continued, explaining that now she sees that describing kneeling during the national anthem as “disrespecting the flag” really meant that she and her husband weren’t taking the time to understand why those who kneeled said did so. She said that white America doesn’t do enough to look for racial injustice, but that both she and Drew are determined to be better now.
Drew’s wife continued, saying that she wants to hear from people who have experienced racism because she now realizes that not being part of the problem is not enough.
The quarterback’s comments were similar and were also a direct apology to those in the NFL who he may have hurt by what he said initially.
“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,” Drew explained.