Why Drew Brees’ kids didn’t want him to retire

New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees throws a pass during against the Detroit Lions. | Bill Feig, Associated Press

After a change of heart, the Saints quarterback’s kids helped him announce his retirement with a video

While the decision to step away from football might have come easy for Drew Brees, his family apparently needed a little convincing.

Today reports that the former New Orleans Saints quarterback reflected on his decision to retire in a recent interview with Ellen DeGeneres and shared that the idea didn’t sit well with his kids at first.

• He told Degeneres, “Last year, before this 2020 season, I’m driving in the car with the family, and Brittany and I had talked about it a little bit, and I said ‘Boys, what would you think if Dad wasn’t gonna play football anymore?’ And they’re like, ‘What do you mean?’”
• Brees continued, “They’re like, ‘Noooo, you can’t retire! We’re not gonna be able to go to the games anymore, we’re not gonna be able to go to the Saints facility.’”

NOLA.com reports that their feelings changed after the 2020 season. Brees sat out for four weeks during his 2020 campaign after he suffered multiple rib fractures and a collapsed lung. Months later, it was revealed that he also experienced a torn rotator cuff and a torn fascia during the season as well.

“This offseason ... they just looked at me and said, ‘OK dad, we’re ready,’” the quarterback said, according to Today.

Brees and his wife Brittany are parents to four children, three sons — Baylen, 12, Bowen, 10, and Callen, 8 — and a daughter, Rylen, 6.

The quarterback officially announced his retirement earlier this month through a video that was posted on Instagram, E! Online reports. The video features the Brees children sitting on a couch taking turns reciting the lines,

“After 15 years on the Saints and 20 years in the NFL ...” “Our dad ...” “Is finally going to retire” and then they exclaimed in unison, “ So he can spend more time with us! Yay!”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Drew Brees (@drewbrees)

NOLA.com reports that as Brees is putting his days with the Saint behind him, he’s joining a new team consisting of NBC broadcasters for college and NFL game-day coverage.

According to the site, come fall 2021, the future Hall of Famer will join Mike Tirico in the booth to call Notre Dame football games on Saturdays and he’ll have a role in NBC’s Sunday Night Football broadcasts.

“I am only retiring from playing football,” Brees wrote in the caption to his retirement video, “Now my real life’s work begins.”

from Deseret News https://ift.tt/3sGgsrq