As Saints quarterback Drew Brees takes criticism for conflating kneeling during the national anthem with disrespecting the flag and the country, one former teammate is standing up for him.
Former Saints receiver Joe Horn told Jeff Duncan of TheAthletic.com that people like LeBron James, who bashed Brees’ comments, should get to know Brees first.
“People should not be throwing Drew Brees under the bus, and they definitely need to pump the brakes on labeling him a racist,” Horn said. “I know Drew Brees. Drew has done a lot to help black families and the black community in New Orleans. If Drew Brees didn’t love black families and low-income families he wouldn’t have helped the way he has over the years. People that are criticizing him like LeBron James and other celebrities don’t know him. They need to check his resume. I love my race. And I love New Orleans to death. But I know Drew Brees. And Drew is a good person. And until you have walked beside him and gotten to know him, his wife and family, you definitely have to give him a pass on this one and allow Drew a chance to think about what he said and come back and make this right. And I know he will.”
Some of Brees’s critics, including teammate Malcolm Jenkins, do know him. But Horn clearly believes some of the criticism Brees is getting has been unfair.