Drew Brees Torpedoes Saints Season Without Throwing a Pass

BY ADAM GREENE

I have bad news if you’re a New Orleans Saints fan or have enjoyed betting on them and their high-powered offense in the past.

They’re not going to the Super Bowl. They might not even post a winning record.

How can I say that about a team that’s made the playoffs three straight seasons and posted consecutive 13-3 records?

Because Wednesday Drew Brees inserted his foot so far into his mouth that he could kick his own ass from the other side.

Brees was tossed the lightest softball of his life in an interview with Yahoo Finance. With the country literally inflamed with protests against police brutality and state sanctioned murder, Brees was asked about “players kneeling again when the season starts.”

(Which they will most certainly do).

Brees, because he’s apparently taken way too many shots to the head, said, “I will never agree with anybody disrespecting the flag of the United States of America or our country.”

And that, as they say, is that.

Brees has taken a beating on social media in the hours since and his own teammates, Michael Thomas, Emmanuel Sanders and Alvink Kamara have all publicly rebuked him and unfollowed him on Twitter.

It’s a dumb thing to think, sure. Kneeling is, by definition, the most respectful thing you can do. But even if you think that dumb thing, now is not the time to say that dumb thing. In fact, never is the time to say it. Just keep it to your dumb self.

Brees didn’t do that.

And now the Saints are screwed.

Currently New Orleans is tied with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at +550 to win the NFC. The only team with better odds are the San Francisco 49ers at +525. Whether those odds move after this or not, make no mistake, this is a self-inflicted disaster for the Saints and for Brees, who was two years away from coasting into a cozy job with NBC Sports.

I’m guessing some NBC Sports execs are having a very uncomfortable Zoom meeting right now about that.

It’s not just Brees’ Saints teammates that were dumbfounded from the dumb thing that the dumb quarterback said.

Devin and Jason McCourty of the New England Patriots stated via Tweet, “This is a disgrace! To speak about your grandfathers as if there weren’t black men fighting next to them. Those men later returned to a country that hated them. Don’t avoid the issue and try to make it about a flag or the military. Fight like your grandfathers for what’s right!”

Brees, as a dumb person would do, as double down on his comments.

“I believe we should all stand for the national anthem and respect our country and all those who sacrificed so much for our freedoms,” Brees said via text message. “That includes all those who marched for women’s suffrage in the 1920s and all those who marched in the civil rights movements and continue to march for racial equality. All of us … EVERYONE … represent that flag. Same way I respect all the citizens of our country … no matter their race, color, religion.”

I’m sure Brees is thinking about women’s suffrage every day. He’s certainly got the time as he’s obviously not read a paper, visited a news website or even looked out his front door over the last week.

NFL teams hate distractions. Internal conflict on a team can ruin a season and, make no mistake, this is a big one. The Saints are done and no smarmy Instagram post is going to fix it.