Yahoo Finance Saints delete tweet of Drew Brees wearing '#SAYHERNAME" shirt amid apparent backlash
The New Orleans Saints’ Twitter account posted a picture of quarterback Drew Brees warming up on Sunday wearing a T-shirt inscribed with the phrase “#SAYHERNAME.”
The tweet was captioned “That’s my quarterback #ForNOLA.”
Hours later the tweet was deleted.
The account added another tweet explaining the meaning behind “#SAYHERNAME,” a social media campaign that started this summer in the aftermath of the fatal police shooting of Breonna Taylor in Louisville, Kentucky.
The second tweet explained that the shirt is about amplifying “the voices and experiences of black women” and was accompanied by a photo of safety Malcolm Jenkins wearing the same shirt. Jenkins is a vocal advocate for social justice and a co-founder of the Players Coalition.
#SayHerName shirt is for the Saints Players Coalition initiative to amplify the voices and experiences of black women https://t.co/5cUVQhwJVP pic.twitter.com/CHB4erBV9f
— New Orleans Saints (@Saints) January 10, 2021
Why did Saints delete tweet?
That tweet did not explain why the first was taken down.
Brees wore the shirt days after an insurrectionist mob, inspired by President Donald Trump, stormed the U.S. Capitol in an effort to subvert the Electoral College count confirming President-elect Joe Biden as Trump’s successor.
A woman named Ashli Babbitt was shot and killed during the attack as she attempted to break into a section of the Capitol called the Speaker’s Lobby. She was part of the mob.
It’s unclear if people thought Brees was wearing the shirt in support of Babbitt.
Brees has worn the shirt multiple times this season, as have other members of the Saints.
Brees drew backlash for anthem protest stance
Brees caused an uproar in June when he told Yahoo Finance “I will never agree with anybody disrespecting the flag.” Brees’ comment denouncing peaceful player protests of police brutality and social injustice arrived at the height of the nationwide racial reckoning sparked by the death of George Floyd at the hand of Minneapolis police.
He drew widespread criticism for the comments, including from Jenkins, who said that Brees should “shut the f--- up” in an Instagram video.
Brees apologized twice for the comment while vowing “I will be a part of the solution.”
There is no evidence that Brees wore the shirt Sunday for any other reason than to join his teammates in the larger ongoing “#SAYHERNAME” campaign.
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