‘I won’t stop.’ LeBron slams Laura Ingraham for her response to Drew Brees controversy
Update: On Thursday, Laura Ingraham addressed her comments about Drew Brees on her Fox News program “The Ingraham Angle.”
“My defense of Brees’ led to an online chorus of people comparing those comments to previous comments I had made to LeBron James,” Ingraham said. “Without dwelling on the nuances between the two instances, let me be very clear about what I believe: We are all children of God, regardless of our racial or political differences and therefore must be treated equally.”
Ingraham went on to say that every American has a “God-given right to speak his mind on any issue” and that in order for the country to heal, it “needs more dialogue and not less.”
Original story:
Nothing gets past LeBron James – both on the court, or off it when it comes to controversial issues.
On Wednesday, Fox News host Laura Ingraham took aim at the backlash New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees received after saying he’d “never agree” with NFL players kneeling during the national anthem to protest police brutality, McClatchy News reported.
Now, she’s drawn a rebuke from the NBA star.
Ingraham received criticism for speaking out in favor of Brees’ right to voice his opinion on prominent issues after she once told James to “shut up and dribble” back in 2018 for speaking about politics.
“It’s always unwise to seek political advice from someone who gets paid $100 million a year to bounce a ball,” she said about James in 2018. “Keep the political comments to yourselves. ... Shut up and dribble.”
But when talking about Brees this week, Ingraham said he is “allowed to have his view about what kneeling and the flag means to him. He’s a person.”
Ingraham’s comments caught the attention of James, who spoke out on Twitter.
During a 2018 interview with ESPN, James spoke about the challenges that come with being a black man and famous figure not only in sports, but in the entire world. He also spoke about his reaction after a racial slur was graffitied on his home in Los Angeles, which brought him to the topic of politics and President Donald Trump.
“The No. 1 job in America, the appointed person is someone who doesn’t understand the people,” he said. He also said that some of the comments that the president makes are “laughable and scary.”
James also famously called Trump a “bum” after the president rescinded a White House invitation to the Golden State Warriors after the team said they didn’t want to visit.
Steph Curry spoke to USA Today about not wanting to go to the White House after the team won the 2017 NBA Finals.
“I don’t want to go,” Curry said. “That’s kind of the nucleus of my belief…(But) it’s not just me going to the White House. If it was, this would be a pretty short conversation.”
After Trump said he then rescinded the offer, James famously replied on Twitter.
Brees received criticism from James, as well as from teammates Malcolm Jenkins, Emmanuel Sanders and Michael Thomas, for his comments on kneeling protests, McClatchy reported.
Protesters in New Orleans also broke out in chants against Brees on Wednesday night.
Brees apologized for his remarks on Thursday.
“In speaking with some of you, it breaks my heart to know the pain I have caused. In an attempt to talk about respect, unity, and solidarity centered around the American flag and the national anthem, I made comments that were insensitive and completely missed the mark on the issues we are facing right now as a country,” the quarterback wrote on Instagram.
This story was originally published June 4, 2020 at 2:27 PM with the headline "‘I won’t stop.’ LeBron slams Laura Ingraham for her response to Drew Brees controversy."