It’s time for Drew Brees to let the young Saints take over leadership role

By saying what he said, Drew Brees all but admitted that it’s time for him to listen instead of lead.

That Drew Brees is the resident Old Head in New Orleans sports is not news. After all, this is a man who surely used to do AltaVista searches on a Gateway 2000 (look it up, kids!). This is a man who thinks an app is something you get at half-price on Wednesday nights at Applebees. This is a man who had a Blockbuster card and kept rewinding the Gladiator VHS until he memorized the “My name is Maximus Decimus Meridius” speech.

And while age is just a number and not something to be used against anyone as some kind of inherent dig, his problematic remarks this week about his inability to agree with any player who takes a knee during the national anthem for any reason was all the proof we needed that this future Hall of Famer‘s time has passed as the undisputed leader of the Saints.

Drew Brees can no longer be the face of the New Orleans Saints

He said it himself. Now isn’t the time for Brees to say more, explain more, justify more. Rather, he finally acknowledged that his top priority as a citizen, a neighbor, and a friend is to reckon with the societal poison that is systemic oppression, and the violence that it perpetuates.

This doesn’t mean Brees is “cancelled.” It doesn’t mean he has no choice but to retire. But it does mean that he has to change.

And if he wants to look to someone close for guidance, he can start with all-world teammate Michael Thomas, who appeared in a striking video that premiered Thursday night along with a host of African-American NFL stars imploring the league to grow up, get real, and call racism by its name.

Drew Brees has nothing more to prove on the football field, but he’s the latest proof that white Americans downplaying or even tuning out the symptoms of this country’s original sin comes with a cost.

Luckily, the opportunity is his to make this failing into a teachable moment. He’ll still bark out orders at the line of scrimmage, but on the front lines of American discourse, it’s time to make way for a new generation.