In June, when Saints quarterback Drew Brees said he couldn’t condone players protesting the national anthem, he was excoriated by athletes throughout the sports world. By the media. And on Twitter.

He went from one of the most popular players in football to a national pariah overnight.

To be clear, all Brees did was say he wouldn’t join a protest of the national anthem. He didn’t quote Adolf Hitler.

DeSean Jackson did. Well, he tried.

Regardless of the source of the anti-Semitic screed he posted on Instagram last weekend, it was 100 times worse than anything Brees said.

At worst, what Brees said was tone deaf and ill-timed.

At best, what Jackson said was disgusting.

In reality, it was hate speech.

However, very few NFL players — especially those who are black — have gone after Jackson for attacking an ethnic minority group with the same vigor as Brees was assailed for simply saying he wasn’t on board with kneeling for the anthem.

That goes against the suggestion that eliminating prejudice on all fronts was the goal of the recent wave of protests in the wake of George Floyd’s killing. Part of the stated hope of those marches allegedly was to unify people and decry any sort of hate toward others based on skin color or ethnicity.

Oops, DeSean. Your posts went a long way toward undermining that hope. Instead, they helped further the divide.

Few seemed to have the nerve to point that out on Twitter, though. Maybe being a social justice warrior isn’t as easy when the path toward justice is less clear, huh?

Finally, after four days, it appears the tide is starting to turn.

On Wednesday, Steelers offensive tackle Zach Banner made this post in support of the Jewish community.

#NewProfilePic

I’m gonna leave this up thru the weekend. Simple, but strong representation of my squad.

But before I go to bed, I want to personally ask @NFL for more attention to this situation. Help put this group of people at ease after a crappy week!

-Zach “mensch” Banner pic.twitter.com/cCt3bWSo1a

— Zach Banner (@ZBNFL) July 9, 2020

That was a good start. But lending support behind a group that has been wronged is easy.

At least, it should’ve been. Few even went as far as Banner.

Steelers defensive end Cameron Heyward went the one necessary step beyond. He called out Jackson by name.

The tree of life shooting was a reminder of the ignorance and injustice. All we can ask for is an apology and actions behind the change. Time for growth.

— Cam Heyward (@CamHeyward) July 9, 2020

Why is that necessary? Just to “get even” for the harsh treatment to Brees?

No. It’s not about getting even. It’s about this.

Re: Desean JacksonIs “silence is compliance” still a thing?? Have lot of quiet players out there#nfl

— Ben Leber (@nacholeber) July 8, 2020

I heard that “silence is compliance” line directed toward white America quite a bit in recent weeks during the Black Lives Matter movement. I had forgotten about it in terms of this discussion about Jackson, though.

Shame on me.

And full credit to Sage Steele of ESPN for referencing it on SportsCenter at 6 p.m. Thursday when she introduced Julian Edelman’s monologue about the situation. A veteran biracial journalist making that connection while on America’s biggest sports network lent some importance to that message.

Edelman — who is Jewish — suggested he and Jackson should make a joint trip to Washington, D.C., to visit the Holocaust Museum and the National Museum of African American History and Culture so they can better educate each other on their respective heritages.

Compassion, empathy and love.

?????

Link to full video: https://t.co/pNkLg9s44V pic.twitter.com/LspyPKzCC3

— Julian Edelman (@Edelman11) July 9, 2020

None of this is about rage equaling rage. Nor is it about anger reaching anger. That’s counterproductive.

This is about mutual accountability. And pointing out that words matter.

Those ideas were prominently advanced when Brees made his comments. They have largely been absent the first few days of this conversation about Jackson’s regrettable actions.

We should applaud Heyward, Banner, Edelman and Steele for reversing that trend.

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