The Counter: What to make of the Drew Brees story and Roger Goodell’s statement

Michael Sykes joins The Counter to talk about the Drew Brees story and the NFL’s reaction to the protests speak by George Floyd’s death.

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It’s time to shut up and listen. For too long, black voices have been suppressed in this country and what we’re seeing across the country is a direct result of that suppression. For too long, white people — and white men, in particular — have had the floor, free to espouse their own beliefs without much of a care for how it affected others.

But, thankfully, that seems to be changing. Diversity of thought is not just preferred. It’s demanded. As it should be, even if it isn’t in the best interest of those who hold the power in this country.

White people are learning that, sometimes, it’s okay to remain on the sidelines. Your opinion does not have to be heard on every matter. This is one of those instances. And that’s a big reason why we skipped our Friday episode last week. Chris Korman and I had put our thoughts out there at the beginning of the week and felt that nobody needed another hour of two white dudes talking about what’s going on — especially when very little of it had to do with the NFL.

Drew Brees changed that last part with one ignorant sound bite, which set off a seemingly inextinguishable fire across the NFL landscape. Years after Colin Kaepernick first kneeled, and his explanation fell on uninterested ears, the Saints quarterback set the conversation back, mischaracterizing player protests during the anthem as disrespect for the flag and country.

His comments were criticized by countless black players across the league, including some of his more prominent teammates. Brees didn’t quite get the message. At least initially. An empty apology, featuring the requisite stock photo of black and white hands locked in a handshake, was not well received, but Brees was given another opportunity when the president decided to weigh in. That’s when the 41-year-old quarterback finally said the right thing.

View this post on Instagram

To @realdonaldtrump Through my ongoing conversations with friends, teammates, and leaders in the black community, I realize this is not an issue about the American flag. It has never been. We can no longer use the flag to turn people away or distract them from the real issues that face our black communities. We did this back in 2017, and regretfully I brought it back with my comments this week. We must stop talking about the flag and shift our attention to the real issues of systemic racial injustice, economic oppression, police brutality, and judicial & prison reform. We are at a critical juncture in our nation’s history! If not now, then when? We as a white community need to listen and learn from the pain and suffering of our black communities. We must acknowledge the problems, identify the solutions, and then put this into action. The black community cannot do it alone. This will require all of us.

A post shared by Drew Brees (@drewbrees) on

As that story developed, Roger Goodell took his second crack at making a statement after the league’s first attempt was widely panned. This time around, Goodell said those magic words: Black Lives Matter.

To best cover those stories, we invited FTW’s Michael Sykes to join the conversation. In addition to his work at FTW, Sykes writes The Kicks You Wear, a bi-weekly newsletter covering the world of sneakers. Understandably, he did not ‘stick to sneakers’ last week. Instead, he wrote an emotional essay on George Floyd’s death and everything that had happened as a result.

These killings are senseless. They shouldn’t have happened. All three of these people should still be alive and with us today. Yet, here we are. They aren’t. And chaos ensues because of it. And the wildest part of it all? It’s that this feels normal for us. This is America.

We talk to Sykes about his thought process when penning that essay and get his thoughts on the Brees story, Goodell’s statement and much more. You can find (and subscribe!) to The Counter at the usual spots linked below. Thanks for listening.

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