He appears to be in the minority when it comes to accepting that people are willing to change. I know I have. Apparently Drew has changed his perspective, as well. Every Saints player that came out against Drew's interview answer has "praised" or commended him since their private meetings. It will take quite a bit of compromise for things to improve elsewhere.

He never needed to apologize to anyone in the first place.
bunch of fascist racists.

He never needed to apologize to anyone in the first place.
bunch of fascist racists.

No. He never needed to apologize, but he did after discussing the issues and coming to a new understanding of the gesture and what it truly expressed.

I've been there and done that. I felt the exact same way at first, but after talking with several friends I also completely changed my viewpoint.

sad day in America, when you have to apologize for respecting the Flag of
my country.
They make millions of dollars to play a game.
Nobody's going to bother anyone if they dont cause trouble.
Nobody owes anyone anything.
There is no wall prohibiting anyone from leaving America.
Make your own fortune or be your own Curse.
After carefully reconsidering their viewpoint and feelings,
F*ck them.

He never apologized for respecting the flag. He apologized because he failed to recognize the cause behind the gesture. You can do both. I know because I do.

He didn't "fail" to recognize the cause behind the "gesture". The cause is based on a lie, first of all. But, for the sake of brevity, let's skip that part and assume that the cause was ever rooted in reality. The "gesture" was disrespectful. When the PA announcer says "everyone, please rise for the national anthem" and you sit on the bench, or take a knee, or turn your back (all of these things were done) you aren't fooling anyone with a brain that you are doing anything other than spiting the flag to show your disdain.

Everyone understood this, even though some tried to justify it, they knew what it was about. And, again, putting aside the fact that "systemic racism" is a total lie, if they wanted to protest, that was a poor time to do it. These are millionaires getting ready to play a game in front of thousands of fans who poured their hearts into their teams, and these guys picked THAT time to make their demonstrations of disgust for the very country which has afforded them the freedom to play a game and make a fortune.

Drew understood this, as well. But, suddenly, when the political climate heated up, the players became completely intolerant of Drew's opinion that protesting during the anthem was the wrong way to go. The players say it's not about the flag, but they won't protest at any other time. That is horse crap, and anyone who is remotely honest about it knows that.

Your personal story of flipping your stance is not necessarily surprising. There are certain people who I'd expect to do whatever makes their seat a little cooler. I thought Drew had a little more integrity, but apparently it was more important to patch things up and continue playing football, without worrying about whether or not his linemen would block for him.

Quite the contrary, in an area full of bigoted rednecks my corrected stance makes my seat quite a bit hotter. But, as you can see, a little bit of heat never bothered me. You see, being open-minded is a positive trait. But, I guess you don't need that since you have this amazing ability to read minds and know exactly what someone is thinking. You are going to believe what you want to believe and nothing will get in the way of that.

That why I mentioned the old saying earlier, "Don't let the door hit you in the ass on the way out!" It means you are going to think or do whatever you want so go for it. No amount of logic will change your mind.

He never needed to apologize to anyone in the first place.
bunch of fascist racists.