CC Sabathia Thinks Saints Can Get Past Drew Brees' 'Insensitive' Comments

Former MLB star CC Sabathia spent Thursday afternoon marching in protests against police brutality and social injustice in New York City. On Thursday evening, he joined The Bill Simmons Podcast to explain his take on current events. 

Among the issues discussed, Sabathia lent his voice to the recent turmoil inside the New Orleans Saints' locker room following comments by Drew Brees in which the quarterback said he would "never agree with anybody disrespecting the flag of the United States of America or our country" when asked about players protesting by kneeling during the national anthem. 

When Simmons asked how he thinks the team can move forward, Sabathia gave a lengthy response: 

"I think you can recover, but that's rough. I mean, Drew has to realize the America that he lived in and grew up in is different from the one that a lot of his teammates and African American players grew up in, you know what I mean? It just comes off a little insensitive, I think, but I think you can get past it. Obviously he's the leader of the team and if he apologizes, and guys know his character and if he's sincere and he's willing to be educated, I don't think there's a reason why they can't get past it—especially because they're not playing right now. 

"If this was during the season, you know, it might be a little harder, but, you know, you've got so much time to mend relationships and educate yourself and do better, really, I think they definitely can get past it. It's a tough situation."

The full conversation can be viewed below beginning at the 1:00:08 mark (warning: video contains profanity):

Brees immediately faced backlash for his comments, with NFL players, fans and media personalities arguing his opinion was uneducated, at best, given repeated statements by those protesting that they are making a peaceful stand against systemic racism and police violence. 

The quarterback later posted two separate apologies in which he pledged to be an ally of the movement and vowed to listen more. 

Sabathia believes that is wholly necessary. He also believes the offseason will give the team a chance to let Brees' comments simmer before the team is all back in one room.