Recent Saints controversy may bring team closer together

It has definitely been a controversial week for the New Orleans Saints as Drew Brees’ comments on kneeling and the American Flag set the sports world ablaze.

If you ever needed to know what the definition of center of attention is, look no further than the hours and days after Saints’ Drew Brees gave his statement to Yahoo Finance regarding his stance on kneeling during the NFL season.

It seemed every major outlet immediately gave their analysis and projection of not only how his comments would affect his teammates now, but the ripple effect this would have heading into the season.

Some pundits even foolishly suggested Brees should retire from football after his recent statements. Welcome to the world of the 24/7 sports news cycle.

Brees, for his part, issued an apology through his social media accounts, highlighting the need for unity and action during these times and vowed to be on the front line helping.

This apology got the attention of President Trump who tweeted that same night that he is a fan of Drew Brees and that Brees should not have apologized for the statement he made.

In a direct response to the President, Brees reiterated the message echoed in his earlier apology, calling on a need for action, “We must acknowledge the problems, identify the solutions, and then put this into action.”

The direct response to the President sent his teammates directly to social media to voice their support for their quarterback. The same players who had previously been critical of Brees’ original stance on kneeling, used their platforms to now voice approval for his current stance.

It was also reported that the Saints held a virtual meeting to discuss the comments that Drew made. Even though this meeting was previously scheduled, no doubt the recent comments made by Brees became the number one topic discussed.

Through all the turmoil, players came back saying, “We love Drew through it all.”

What remains to be seen is how the locker room atmosphere will be once all the players are allowed to come back together. If the virtual meeting and subsequent online support are any indications, the team is ready to rally around their quarterback.

This moment could really be a rallying cry for the upcoming season.

This week has shown not only what is prevalent in NFL locker rooms but in society. People of varying opinions will disagree. The key is having the necessary conversations to understand each other’s point of view.

Only then, can we truthfully learn and progress.

The New Orleans Saints have learned a valuable lesson this past week. They are hoping to use the lessons learn to progress as a complete unit heading into the NFL season. No matter what upcoming opponent or obstacle they face, they know they have each other to make it out on top.