'I'm never gonna go with the mob': Charles Barkley says outrage over Drew Brees' comments on NFL players protesting during the national anthem was overkill
- Many criticized Drew Brees for his comments on Wednesday against NFL players protesting during the national anthem.
- On Thursday, TNT commentator Charles Barkley defended Brees, saying that while his initial comments were insensitive, the attacks against Brees had reached the point of "overkill."
- "I'm never going to go with the mob. I want to make it clear, I did not like what he said right away," Barkley said. "But the vitriol and animosity and hatred that he's gotten for the last 24 hours, I thought it was overkill."
Charles Barkley says he thinks people went too far in their criticisms of New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees.
Brees was called out by figures across the sports world after he said in a Wednesday interview with Yahoo Finance that he would, "never agree with anybody disrespecting the flag of the United States of America or our country."
Everyone from LeBron James to NFL players, to even some of Brees' teammates offered their takes on why his response was disappointing. They noted that Brees had made the conversation about himself rather than those taking part in the protest, and centered the argument around the flag rather than police brutality, the issue that players were demonstrating against.
With all of the criticism aimed at Brees, some argued that those calling him out went too far. On TNT's "Inside the NBA" on Thursday, commentator Charles Barkley said that while he believed Brees' original statement was "insensitive," the outrage against his comments had reached the point of "overkill."
"Drew's original statement I thought, was insensitive. It was very insensitive, especially during this time," Barkley said. "But I thought the negative reaction from every talking head on television and some of his teammates was overkill. I've never heard a bad word about Drew Brees in my life. He made a mistake. But we've gotten to the point in society where everybody on social media thinks they are god, judge, and jury."
He continued:
"Drew Brees, whatever he said, I felt he talked about, hey the flag means different things to different people. But the way he was portrayed on television and radio today was not fair at all. Drew Brees has done some amazing things in New Orleans in his life, I'm not even talking about football.
"He made a mistake in a statement. But this level of, 'We've got to kill everybody who says something we don't agree with'… I'm never going to go with the mob. I want to make it clear, I did not like what he said right away. But the vitriol and animosity and hatred that he's gotten for the last 24 hours, I thought it was overkill. That's just my personal opinion."
You can watch Barkley's segment on "Inside the NBA" below.
After a full day of criticism for his comments, Drew Brees offered an apology 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," Brees' post read.
"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."
Since his apology, some of Brees' teammates have responded. Saints linebacker Demario Davis told CNN that he appreciated Brees taking responsibility for his words once he was called out for them.
"What we had hoped the first time was that Drew would elaborate more on racism and the sentiments of the black community," Davis said. "And he admitted he missed the mark. So for him to come out and say, 'I missed the mark, I've been insensitive, but what I'm gonna start doing is listening and learning from the black community and finding ways that I can help them,' I think that's a model for all of America."
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