Brees Needs to Stand Behind His Words and Stop Insulting Our Intelligence

I used to really like Drew Brees. 

Once upon a time, Brees was someone I rooted for—quite a bit, actually—as he made the jump from Purdue to playing quarterback for the San Diego Chargers. My admiration for Brees only grew after seeing him handle the incredibly awkward situation that was created when the team traded for Philip Rivers to replace him. 

Brees handled himself with class during that entire episode, and I never forgot it. 

When he joined the New Orleans Saints, after playing the Miami Dolphins and the Saints off each other to get the largest contract possible, some fans and even some media members gave him grief about how the process played out.

I didn't begrudge Brees that at all—how could I? We all want to take care of ourselves and our families, and getting the most money possible out of your new employer only makes sense. 

Brees' journey since signing with the Saints is well-documented. The city embraced him and the team in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, and the Saints became a symbol for a resurgent New Orleans when they won Super Bowl XLIV, a game in which Brees was named MVP.

At that point, Brees could do no wrong.

Then came last summer's lockout and the bitter battle between the NFL and the players union, a battle in which Brees became a vocal leader on the players' side.

While there is absolutely nothing wrong with Brees wanting to stand up for the rights of his fellow players, it helped set in motion the narrative that has followed him from last summer through the Bountygate episode as he has pitted himself against NFL commissioner Roger Goodell seemingly nonstop over the course of the last year. 

As Brees told Sports Illustrated's Peter King regarding Goodell:

"

Nobody trusts him. Nobody trusts him. I'm not talking about a DUI, or using a gun in a strip club, which are pretty clear violations. I think there're too many times where the league has come to its decision in a case before calling a guy in, and the interview is just a façade. I think now if a guy has to come in to talk to Roger, he'll be very hesitant because he'll think the conclusion has already been reached.

"

Look, I get it. Players are unhappy with how Bountygate went down. Players are upset that Goodell has brought down severe punishment on the Saints, more for their lying to the league than for the actual misdeeds they are alleged to have participated in. 

But as I've said before, and as I will continue to say until I'm blue in the face, Goodell is in charge. For the next nine years. The players (save for the members of the Pittsburgh Steelers) signed off on the collective bargaining agreement that gives the commissioner the power he is now wielding.

Of course, Brees went on a damage control tour after his comments about Goodell caused a mini-firestorm, sitting down with SIRIUS NFL Radio earlier on Wednesday to "clarify" his comments.

As Brees said, via Yahoo! Sports:

"

Just to clarify, I know that the headline statement was 'Brees Bashes Goodell,' but that's not the case. I was asked the question, how do players -- consensus -- feel about Roger Goodell? I paused, and I thought about it, and from my conversations with a lot of players -- not just my locker room -- have been, it's that players don't trust Roger Goodell.

I just feel that in regard to this process, and this investigation, I don't feel that it was done fairly. And I feel that they got this one wrong. I have no problem saying that. I would also say that we're in a position where we can still make this right. I believe whole-heartedly that [between] the league, and Commissioner Goodell, and our team, and the union, we can all come together and re-evaluate, if you want to call it that. We can do this together, and we can make this right.

"

It's funny, because I've talked to at least 10 NFL players, none within the Saints locker room, who are much more in line with what Chicago Bears running back Matt Forte had to say Wednesday afternoon when asked about Goodell's supposed overreaching powers.

"

I liked Matt Forte's answer this morning when he was asked about the commissioner's power over discipline ... "Just don't get in trouble."

— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) August 1, 2012"

I just find it funny that Brees, in his plea for fairness, asks for the two sides to come together and find common ground.

Goodell has asked, repeatedly, for the players who have been suspended to come in and talk to him—alone, man to man, without lawyers and union representatives present. As of now, none have done so. No doubt they have been advised not to by said lawyers and union representatives.

Why? Because that would be an admission that Goodell is indeed in charge, which he is. 

Drew Brees is no fan of the commissioner. That's fine. He needs to own that and stop insulting our intelligence by trying to walk back comments that should speak for themselves.