There aren’t many players on the New Orleans Saints roster with more respect on their name than Thomas Morstead. The experienced punter is entering his twelfth NFL season, having spent every year of his lengthy career in New Orleans. He’s one of a few who won a Super Bowl ring back in 2009 to still compete in the NFL, along with teammates Drew Brees and Malcolm Jenkins.
So Morstead has a good sense of the Saints locker room, to say the least. He addressed some recent turmoil during an appearance on the Rich Eisen Show. Teed up by Eisen to reflect on Brees’ conversation with his teammates after a very public disagreement over the quarterback’s stance on peaceful protests during the national anthem, Morstead now thinks the Saints are a tighter-knit group than ever before.
“Well look, I think it’s pretty evident over the past number of years to have had the type of seasons we’ve had, to lose in the playoffs the ways that we have and always bounce back, we have a tremendous amount of leadership in the locker room. And leadership sometimes deals with conflict among teammates,” Morstead said, pointing out that the team has leadership in spades. It’s not for nothing that he wears the same captain patch on his jersey as Brees, as do other teammates like Cameron Jordan and Demario Davis.
He continued, “I think this is going to be a blessing in disguise, not only for Drew, not only for our team, but for our nation. Drew is a man of conviction and he just had a change of perspective. We got together and a lot of guys let him know exactly how they felt, and maybe that hadn’t been said as clearly before to him.”
Brees later issued a public apology and commitment to working with his teammates to address the problems close to them, highlighting a need to work against social injustice. It earned him the praise and respect that he’d jeopardized from his teammates, while drawing criticism from public figures like President Donald Trump.
But Morstead was convinced that Brees’ heart is in the right place, saying, “And I know that Drew’s not going to apologize unless he means it, not because of the pressure or his brand. He’s gonna do the right thing. I just know that he’s gonna handle this the right way. And I’m really excited to see what type of moves our team makes collectively, not just in New Orleans but across the country. Somebody like Drew who moves the needle, if he gets passionate about something, and he’s already told us that his actions will speak louder than his moves.”
Morstead described the conversation on that team-wide conference call as, “vulnerable, difficult, emotional, and necessary,” noting that the air has been cleared and everyone knows where they stand on these issues.
He also reiterated that Brees is committed to working with his teammates in their efforts at addressing racial inequality and policing reform; Brees has taken one big first step by signing a letter to Congress alongside the Players Coalition (headed by Saints safety Malcolm Jenkins, linebacker Demario Davis, and retired tight end Benjamin Watson), calling on lawmakers to end the doctrine of qualified immunity. If Morstead’s comments are any indication, this is just the beginning.
