Gumbo
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- Mar 19, 2019
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Saints safety Malcolm Jenkins has remained publicly quiet, for the most part, since posting a pair of emotional videos last Wednesday, in the aftermath of the controversial Drew Brees remarks linking anthem protests to “disrespect” of the flag. On Tuesday, Jenkins appeared on CBS This Morning, and the topic came up. Sort of.
Jenkins generally was asked for his “thoughts on that day and looking back at the reaction.”
“I look back, and I’m glad that I chose to post that video,” Jenkins said, reiterating that he spoke directly to Brees after creating the video but decided to post the video anyway. (Jenkins had posted an earlier video that contained much stronger language, but Jenkins deleted it before posting the second video.)
“I thought that it was important that our country understand the pain that black people have been dealing with and that black people carry around,” Jenkins said. “I think we are in that amount where we need truth before we can have reconciliation, and that was an opportunity for me to share my truth, not only to Drew Brees but to anybody who’s watching.”
An important issue never came up during the interview. Specifically, Jenkins wasn’t asked whether he accepts Brees’ multiple apologies — apologies that didn’t include a clear statement on whether he still links protest with disrespect. That came only after Brees was pushed off the fence by the President. Given that Jenkins hasn’t matched his public denouncement of Brees words with a public acceptance of his apologies, it’s fair to conclude that Jenkins’ position on this issue currently isn’t clear.
Jenkins’ general position on the anthem conflation issue nevertheless is clear.
“Honestly, if at this point in time in 2020 people don’t understand what the protest’s about then they are blatantly trying to ignore it,” Jenkins said. “So I try not to waste my time talking about the anthem . . . because it’s a distraction from the actual issues that are plaguing our black and brown communities, the things we need to get fixed.”
Amen to that. One thing that has happened over the past two weeks is that those who are focused on the real issues have ignored the deflections and distractions like “stick to sports” or “kneeling is disrespect” or anything else that keeps people from focusing on what’s important. By successfully ignoring those efforts to change the subject, those efforts to change the subject are often abandoned.