What’s Drew Brees Going To Do Now?

BY ADAM GREENE

Just about a week ago Drew Brees did his best to flush the New Orleans Saints season down the toilet and follow it with what had been, previously, a pretty stellar personal reputation in the process.

Since then Brees has been on an apology tour and even delivered a modest body check to President Donald Trump who tried to interject himself into the NFL’s kneeling “controversy” as he has nothing else going on deserving his attention. Trump’s afternoons, when not accusing 75-year old retirees of being Antifa plants, are apparently free.

Brees was obviously humbled by the strife he caused within his team and sports fandom and even his wife has chimed in, offering her own apology. His responses and conversations since, and his rebuke of Trump, seems to have healed some of it on his own squad at least.

Others aren’t buying it, like the Philadelphia Eagles’ Malik Jackson.  How prevalent is that in the NFL? Or even on the Saints? As of right now, no one really knows.

New Orleans, along with the rest of the NFL, is slated to start its training camp in late July, barring any huge change in COVID-19 policy. And since we, as a nation, seem content to make none even in the face of a sharp increase in numbers from Memorial Day outings (no one has protest spike numbers yet, but logic dictates that they’re coming), training camp will probably happen.

The Universities of Alabama, Arkansas State, Auburn, Texas Tech, Iowa, Marshall and Oklahoma State have all reported positive coronavirus cases as players return to begin preseason work. No one, as of this writing, has yet to propose a halt or postponement of the upcoming college football season. As far as I can tell, they haven’t even stopped players from showing up.

There’s no question that NFL teams will experience the same thing once players return. So we’ll have to wait and see what happens there.

But there’s a full slate of games set for the second week of September and the NFL is planning to play them.  I think they will.

So as the Saints take the field at the Mercedez-Benz Superdome when they host the Tom Brady-led Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sept. 13, Brees can shut down any and all criticism with a single move.

He can take a knee during the anthem.

Currently the odds of Brees doing that are at +225, with standing at -350. I feel like Brees putting his hand on a teammate’s shoulder (at -120) is about as safe a bet as you could put down in sports right now. That’s happening. He’ll have to find a willing participant, but Michael Thomas, at least, already seems like he’s forgiven Brees and believes his apologies.

In spite of the self-inflicted wound, the Saints’ NFC Championship odds didn’t drop over the last week and still sit at +550.

Brees could solve all his problem with a single move. He takes the knee, surrounded by his teammates, and shows definitively that he’s backing up his words with actions. Sure, some would call it a crass attempt to regain public favor, but what can you do? The symbolism, and Trumpian condemnation, would put Brees publicly on the right side of history.

And maybe heal any of the remaining rifts on his own team.

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