Laura Ingraham changes tune following Drew Brees backlash
On Thursday night, Fox News host Laura Ingraham addressed the backlash she received for coming to the defense of New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees the night before. The backlash, though, wasn’t just that she defended Brees. It had more to do with the stark contrast between her defense of Brees and his right to an opinion, and her rebuke of LeBron James and Kevin Durant when they expressed their opinions about President Trump in 2018.
Video Transcript
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LAURA INGRAHAM: Now, my defense of Brees led to an online chorus of people comparing those comments to previous comments I had made to LeBron James.
KYLIE MAR: On Thursday night, Fox News host Laura Ingraham addressed backlash she received for her defense of New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees the night before. Brees came under fire on Wednesday for equating kneeling during the national anthem to disrespecting the flag rather than recognizing that kneeling is to protest police brutality.
LAURA INGRAHAM: He's allowed to have his view about what kneeling and the flag means to him. I mean, he's a person. He has some worth, I would imagine. I mean, this is beyond football, though. This is totalitarian conduct.
KYLIE MAR: But in 2018, when NBA superstars LeBron James and Kevin Durant expressed unfavorable views of President Trump, Ingraham had a much different response.
LAURA INGRAHAM: Must they run their mouths like that? It's always unwise to seek political advice from someone who gets paid $100 million a year to bounce a ball. But keep the political commentary to yourself, or as someone once said, shut up and dribble.
KYLIE MAR: Ingraham was quickly called out on social media, including calls for her to lose her job. And on Thursday, Ingraham struck a different tune.
LAURA INGRAHAM: Every American-- every American has a god-given right to speak his or her own mind on any issue. And I think in order to heal and shed light on gross injustices, our country needs more dialogue, not less.
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