During a special Thursday night episode of Inside the NBA, Shaquille O’Neal revealed that he was actually on the call with the New Orleans Saints and heard Drew Brees’s apology.
O’Neal explained he had been asked to speak to the Saints two weeks ago by head coach Sean Payton, and so it happened to be the call the Basketball Hall of Famer was on that Brees delivered an apology to the team that included players who spoke out against the quarterback discussing how he’ll “never agree with anybody disrespecting the flag.”
O’Neal reported that players told him to “do more positive things and less talking” and accepted his apology.
.@SHAQ joined the @Saints team meeting today and described Drew Brees' apology to his teammates. pic.twitter.com/U9nKtOiydd
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) June 5, 2020
As to what O’Neal said about agreeing with Charles Barkley that Brees made a mistake? Here’s Barkley around the 1:30 mark:
“Drew’s original statement I thought was insensitive. It was very insensitive, especially during this time. 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. Drew Brees made a mistake.”
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