NFL legend Brett Favre speaks out after ESPN sparks fury over national anthem following New Orleans attack
Brett Favre has blasted the decision not to air the moment of silence or the national anthem on ESPN ahead of the Sugar Bowl due to the terrorist attack in New Orleans less than 24 hours earlier.
ESPN came under fire earlier this week for not including it on the broadcast, with the Sugar Bowl instead featuring introductory remarks from President Joe Biden and another speech from Allstate CEO Tom Wilson.
Wilson’s speech, broadcast just before kick-off, was widely reported.
Now Favre, whose political loyalty to Donald Trump has been clear over the past decade, has spoken out about the decision.
“I heard, there was no Sugar Bowl anthem on television yesterday. Instead, a DEI message from @Allstate CEO. Woke is a joke,” Favre said on social media.
DEI stands for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, a mission that seeks to be as inclusive as possible for all people.
Favre failed by not airing the moment of silence or the national anthem for the Sugar Bowl
The Sugar Bowl was postponed due to a terrorist attack in New Orleans that killed fourteen people
Favre only reported about the absence of the national anthem on the broadcast more than 24 hours after the end of the game.
The NFL legend only showed his disgust afterward, while many others showed their disapproval of Wilson’s speech, which seemingly took up airtime from where the Star-Spangled Banner would have been.
The terrorist attack in New Orleans, which killed 14 people in the early hours of New Year’s Day, pushed back the College Football Playoff quarterfinals by a day before the major sponsor’s CEO delivered his speech.
“Welcome to the Allstate Sugar Bowl,” Wilson’s speech began. “On Wednesday, tragedy struck the New Orleans community. Our prayers are with the victims and their families.”
“We must also be stronger together by overcoming an addiction to division and negativity. Join Allstate and work in local communities across America to amplify the positive, increase trust, and accept people’s imperfections and differences. Together we win.’
The response to that message was not well received in any medium, including social media.
“@Allstate IN WHICH UNIVERSE was this a good idea?” said one college football fan on social media.