There's no denying this New Orleans Saints quarterback's performance on the field. His
legendary career speaks for itself at this point. Off the field? That's another story,
with one huge controversy potentially tainting his "nice guy" image forever. Huddle up for
the shady truth about Drew Brees.
In his NFL career, Brees had earned a whopping $244.7 million as of the making of this video.
But it seems he wants more, and according to SB Nation's Canal Street Chronicles, Brees
has engaged in, quote, "unsavory and borderline diabolical business practices."
Brees and his wife Brittany publicly supported a construction project on New Orleans' historic
Magazine Street in 2011. Nola.com reported that residents thought the proposed three-story
pilates studio would be an "eyesore" that would worsen traffic. Brittany argued that
the building didn't need to meet the required parking regulations because she would ride
her bike there. The star QB also joined a group attempting to build a $4 million kids'
soccer complex on The Fly, a coveted piece of city-owned waterfront property. According
to 4WWL, critics of the project accused the developers of "trying to cut a backroom" deal.
The project was ultimately shelved.
In 2010, Brees became the national spokesman for AdvoCare International, a multilevel marketing
company that sold energy drinks, shakes, and supplements. According to ESPN, the company's
business model allegedly prioritized recruitment, with individual distributors required to,
quote, "infuse the company with new funds." One distributor said:
"It nauseates me to think of the people who spent $3,000 and didn't make a dime because
they believed me...You catch people in a bad spot who maybe have hope that this could be
a way for them to pay for their credit card and their kids, and you exploit them."
Brees defended the company, though, saying:
"I have literally NEVER had a single person come up to me and say anything negative about
AdvoCare products or the business model. I see the lives that it changes, not only as
a direct result of taking the products but the financial independence it gives many of
its distributors."
In 2019, the Federal Trade Commission determined that AdvoCare was a pyramid scheme, finding
that 72% of its distributors, quote, "lost money or earned nothing." The company agreed
to pay a $150 million fine and leave the multi-level marketing business.
In 2019, Brees appeared in a video promoting "Bring Your Bible to School Day." Focus on
the Family, a religious organization labeled "anti-LGBTQ+" by observers including Big Easy
Magazine, was behind the campaign. Brees later released a Twitter video attempting to distance
himself from the organization, claiming that it was a misrepresentation to say that he
had aligned himself with an anti-LGBTQ organization. He said:
"What I did was I filmed a video recently that was encouraging kids to bring their Bibles
to school, to be able to live out your faith with confidence."
According to Advocate, Focus on the Family's founder has publicly called for killing trans
people over using what he deems the wrong bathrooms, and the group has endorsed the
practice of conversion therapy. Brees defended himself again, saying,
"I was not aware of any of the things they said about them lobbying for, you know, anti-gay,
any type of messaging."
During a 2016 preseason NFL game, then-San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick
remained seated during the national anthem to protest police brutality against people
of color.
"When there's significant change and I feel like that flag represents what it's supposed
to represent, and this country is representing people the way that it's supposed to, I'll
stand."
Upon the advice of former Green Beret Nate Boyer, Kaepernick therefore started to kneel
during the anthem. According to USA Today, he also donated $1 million to charity groups.
Soon, other players began kneeling during the anthem. Among those not taking a knee
was Drew Brees, who told ESPN:.
"I wholeheartedly disagree. Not that he wants to speak out about a very important issue...But
there's plenty of other ways that you can do that in a peaceful manner that doesn't
involve being disrespectful to the American flag."
Four years later, after George Floyd's death at the hands of Minneapolis police officers,
several NFL stars united to record a message asking the league to condemn racism and do
more to fight against it. Brees didn't participate. Instead, in an interview with Yahoo! Sports,
Brees once again brought up the flag and the national anthem, saying:
"Well, I will never agree with anybody disrespecting the flag of the United States of America or
our country."
He added,
"Let me just tell what I see or what I feel when the national anthem is played and when
I look at the flag of the United States. I envision my two grandfathers, who fought for
this country during World War II, one in the Army and one in the Marine Corps."
Brees' comments were met with instant backlash, including from teammate Michael Thomas, who
tweeted.
"He don't know no better...We don't care if you don't agree...how about that."
Professional athletes from around the country offered stark rebukes against the future Hall
of Fame quarterback's comments. New Orleans Saints star running back Alvin Kamara shared
his experiences with racism in America as a Black man and an undocumented immigrant,
tweeting:
"I can kneel confidently because I know that with just that small gesture, a much bigger
message is being conveyed. And also within that gesture, the voices of those who no longer
have a voice can be heard."
Brees' former teammate Malcolm Jenkins called the quarterback's comments "extremely self-centered"
in a now-deleted social media video. Jenkins said,
"Our communities are under siege, and we need help. We're done asking, Drew...And it's unfortunate
because I considered you a friend. I looked up to you. You're somebody who I had a great
deal of respect for. But sometimes you should shut the f--- up."
Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James didn't hold back, either, tweeting:
"You literally still don't understand why Kap was kneeling on one knee?? Has absolute
nothing to do with the disrespect of...our soldiers...My father-in-law was one of those
men who fought as well for this country."
Brees posted a lengthy statement to his Instagram account admitting that he was "sick" over
"the way [his] comments were perceived." He continued,
"I would like to apologize to my friends, teammates, the City of New Orleans, the black
community, NFL community, and anyone I hurt with my comments yesterday. In speaking with
some of you, it breaks my heart to know the pain I have caused...[The comments] lacked
awareness and any type of compassion or empathy...I stand with the black community in the fight
against systemic racial injustice and police brutality and support the creation of real
policy change that will make a difference."
According to New York Post columnist Mark Cannizzaro, Brees still "has a long way to
go" to earn the forgiveness he seeks.
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