04/18/24
October 31, 2006
Quarterback Drew Brees tell his mom to go long -- off a short pier: Brees, the signal caller for the New Orleans Saints, has asked his mother Mina to remove his photo from political ads she's running in a bid for a slot on Texas's 3rd Court of Appeals. Brees says their relationship is "nonexistent" after he refused to hire her as his agent six years ago.
Brings new meaning to the term 'dysfunctional family" Bet the holidays are fun around their house! donrico, where's your sense of humor, I'm from Dallas, and this is completely normal politics for this state!
posted by dviking at 07:26 PM on October 31, 2006
Bet the holidays are fun around their house!-dviking haha. this is quite sad, mr brees.
posted by marinersrule12e at 09:25 PM on October 31, 2006
dviking is right: one must keep a sense of humor in order to fully appreciate completely normal politics around these parts. Who can blame Drew for dumpin' his ma the Shrew?
posted by mjkredliner at 09:54 PM on October 31, 2006
Happy to see Brees stands by principles, unlike his mother; who is an opportunist who will use her own son's good fortune to bolster her own future. If their relationship is nonexistent anyway, why sell out for politics that don't concern him?
posted by cynic-op-ed at 10:21 PM on October 31, 2006
I don't think there are "normal politics" anywhere. The sad part is his relationship with his mother was so thin, it collapsed over a business deal.
posted by SummersEve at 07:10 AM on November 01, 2006
Nice title, wfrazer.
posted by tieguy at 07:42 AM on November 01, 2006
I just love the title of this post. In my family we ask before we use something that belongs to another member of the family. That includes Mr. Brees' face. She had no right to use him to use his likeness without his permission, which appears to be the case. Its too bad that there is no relationship there.
posted by yzelda4045 at 07:49 AM on November 01, 2006
She should have asked his permission. If he doesn't agree with her politics it's a double whammy to him. Sounds like she's a "what ever it takes" kinda gal. Good for Brees!
posted by Lucy at 08:02 AM on November 01, 2006
Its too bad that there is no relationship there. Why is that so bad? He's obviously the person he is despite her, so why should he maintain a relationship with someone in which he had no choice to start in the first place? Just because she's his mother? No thanks. He's probably happier without her anyways. (And for the record, I love my mother and get along well with her.)
posted by Jeffwa at 08:10 AM on November 01, 2006
Glad my Mom is not an attorney. Sad for Drew.
posted by mikemora at 08:15 AM on November 01, 2006
Why is Drew Brees the sympathetic figure here? He had his agent send his mom a letter threatening legal action! The woman gave birth to him. If she wants to mention her family in campaign ads, I don't see how that's objectionable. He also should be working this out directly, not complaining to the media and sending his lawyers after her, unless there's a Mommy Dearest history we're not being told about.
posted by rcade at 08:24 AM on November 01, 2006
The woman gave birth to him. Not exactly a blank cheque, though. Moms, like Dads, can be assholes. I would think that given Brees' public character, there is just as likely a scenario where Mommy dug her own grave.
posted by WeedyMcSmokey at 08:36 AM on November 01, 2006
He also should be working this out directly, not complaining to the media and sending his lawyers after her, unless there's a Mommy Dearest history we're not being told about. From the article: Drew Brees, who won a state football championship with Westlake High School in suburban Austin, said he got no response from his mother when he first heard about the ads and called her to ask that she stop using them.
posted by bperk at 08:37 AM on November 01, 2006
I have no problem making Drew the sympathetic figure here. To me, there seem to be some very clearly questionable tactics at play by his mother. If she wants to mention her family in campaign ads, I don't see how that's objectionable. If her family has expressly instructed her to not, and she continnues to do so to promote a false image, then that does seem to be objectionable. And by "false image", I'm saying that she seems to be trying to promote herself as a "family woman" (this business about innocently tying herself to the generic notion of football that is quoted in the article is comical malarkey) - but, the sheer fact that your son has to resort to threatening legal action seems to be the antithesis of a "family woman". Plus, there's absolutely nothing to indicate Drew has been "complaining to the media" - the fact that this story broke is likely the result of journalism in his mother's area keeping track of every development regarding her. I think the sympathy towards Drew is that it is natural to hope that a child has a good relationship with his mother. When, that relationship is so negative, absent clear "evil" on the part of the child, sympathy will reside with at least the child, if not both people.
posted by littleLebowski at 08:39 AM on November 01, 2006
Well rcade, he has the right to control his image and how it is used. If she wants to film herself saying she is his mother, he can't do anything about that. But in order to use his image, she has to get permission. According to the article he asked her to stop using the image, she didn't, and that is when he took legal action. The woman gave birth to him argument, well, that's complete crap. Just because she gave birth to him does not give her right to use him to further her political career. In general, parents who use their children's celebrity to for personal gain aren't favorably looked on. Her justification for using the image of him was because her father taught her a strong work ethic. So.. why isn't she using an image of her father? Because he isn't famous. It is a selfish move.
posted by apoch at 08:40 AM on November 01, 2006
I always assume there's more to these stories than meets the eye. Drew Brees has the bigger national presence, and so his side of the story is going to get out. That said, the facts as presented are pretty damning. And I love my mama, but I don't know if I'd be thrilled about her using me to push her campaigns neither.
posted by chicobangs at 09:08 AM on November 01, 2006
I'm still not sure how this helps her landing a seat on an appeals court. "I'm Mina Brees. NFL superstar quarterback Drew Brees came out of my vagina, although we don't talk any more. Vote for me!"
posted by wfrazerjr at 09:11 AM on November 01, 2006
He took this dispute public, telling reporters he was speaking out because she ignored private requests to pull his picture from campaign material. The ad in question is one in which Mina Brees states "Drew Brees is my son." On her biography page on her web site, she also mentions this fact alongside a picture of her sons. This is a fact. Perhaps he has the legal right to insist that she remove his picture from her ads -- I don't know the law in that area. But it seems like a cheap shot to make this public days before the election. Drew Brees has accused his mother of trying to be his agent and trying to sell a tell-all memoir. She denies both and is, from appearances at least, a respected attorney rated highly by some groups that review judicial candidates in Texas. We don't know who's right here, and to me, strongly siding with the star QB seems like excessive deference to celebrity.
posted by rcade at 09:17 AM on November 01, 2006
The ad in question is one in which Mina Brees states "Drew Brees is my son." On her biography page on her web site, she also mentions this fact alongside a picture of her sons. This is a fact. If that's not "excessive deference to celebrity", I don't know what is!
posted by littleLebowski at 09:23 AM on November 01, 2006
That slogan would get my vote, Frazer, but I suspect she's going for something closer to this: "I'm Mina Brees. I'm not a Republican, so I'm going to talk about football and family and hope it helps."
posted by rcade at 09:23 AM on November 01, 2006
I agree with rcade that we don't know the full story here. I think Mina Brees has the right to acknowlage the fact that Drew Brees is her son, but if he wishes her to remove his picture from her campaign ads, then she should do so. As for the memoir and agent stuff, I'll reserve judgement until the information becomes clearer.
posted by Ying Yang Mafia at 09:55 AM on November 01, 2006
"I'm Mina Brees. I live in Texas and I'm not a Republican, so I'm going to talk about football and family and hope it helps." Bold is mine.
posted by The_Black_Hand at 10:05 AM on November 01, 2006
Supposedly they haven't gotten along since he didn't want her to be his agent when he first signed an NFL contract and then she does this I can understand why he's pissed off
posted by luther70 at 10:19 AM on November 01, 2006
We don't know who's right here, and to me, strongly siding with the star QB seems like excessive deference to celebrity. Well, I'm not so sure that's the case. We know who's right - QB Brees asked to not be associated with the campaign, and the association continued. What's not cut and dried about that? Motivations, etc. really are unimportant as he is well within his rights to do this. I'm not sure it's excessive deference to celebrity inasmuch as it is excessive distrust of people running for office.
posted by WeedyMcSmokey at 10:37 AM on November 01, 2006
If she wants to mention her family in campaign ads, I don't see how that's objectionable. It implies that Drew supports her campaign when in fact he does not. [Stop reading here unless you want to be bored by Vermont politics] There was a similar situation here in Vermont where an ad (paid for by the RNC) showed a picture of retiring senator Jeffries as the voice over said something like "Vermont has a history of sending independents to Washington...." Many interpreted this 2 ways. One that the candidate, Martha Rainville, was not beholden to the Republican campaign (um, the ad was paid for by the RNC and not approved by the Rainville campaign) and two that Senator Jeffries supported Martha Rainville. The very next day after the ad initially ran, Senator Jeffries went on the record as supporting Rainville's opponent, Democratic candidate, Peter Welch, and that he was disappointed that the ad infered that he supported Martha Rainville. The Brees situation is similar to me. Drew's mother is using her sons image to imply that a big named, popular, sports figure supports her candidacy. He isn't, and he should be able to control his image whether the candidate is his mother or not.
posted by scully at 10:42 AM on November 01, 2006
First of all, Drew Brees doesn't seem like a non-charitable person-given what he's done, publicly, in his new city, and with the Brees Foundation. And while his mother and father seem to have provided the means for him to get to the NFL level, I doubt that his mother was there very much for him. Lawyers, especially high-powered ones that aspire to sit on appellate courts, usually leave it to hired help to raise the family.
posted by drtherc at 11:22 AM on November 01, 2006
It implies that Drew supports her campaign when in fact he does not. True enough, but why should he care about his mother's judicial campaign enough to insist on being distanced from it? I'm not getting that part of this story. He's running the risk of becoming known as a guy who wants to sue his mom, and all he's getting out of it is a chance to knock her down a peg. If she was a white supremacist or some other kind of fringe kook, or someone who didn't raise him, I could see why he's taking this step. But "estranged from mom" is a rung on the ladder below "threatening to sue mom," and if I'm his agent, I'd advise him to dry his tears with thousand-dollar bills, ignore her longshot political campaign and give her a shitty white elephant gift at Christmas. Then, if she does it again, I'd advise that he produce a couple of grandbabies and never let her visit them.
posted by rcade at 11:24 AM on November 01, 2006
Lawyers, especially high-powered ones that aspire to sit on appellate courts, usually leave it to hired help to raise the family. Millionaire athletes aren't good parental role models either, aside from Barry Bonds. Man, this is a tough crowd!
posted by rcade at 11:25 AM on November 01, 2006
Apparently it important enough to Drew to make the point. I agree with you in spirit, rcade, but this is a bit closer to Drew than any of us, and there may be more that we don't know. It may be bad publicity for him, but I don't necessarily know if it is career-threatening. He has decided it is important to him, and that is enough for me, even if I do not agree.
posted by scully at 11:42 AM on November 01, 2006
True enough, but why should he care about his mother's judicial campaign enough to insist on being distanced from it? Because he thinks his mom is a bitch?
posted by wfrazerjr at 11:53 AM on November 01, 2006
If Drew Brees owns the rights to his likeness, signature, ect.,ect., then his mother could be in violation of licensing laws. Because she is his mother, does that give her the right to use him (in any way shape or form) for political gain? No. He does not want to be involved in her politics and told her so privately. Yet she still persisted. Sometimes legal action is the only way you can get your point across. I have to come down on Drew's side of this arguement. And fraze, have you ever thought about quitting your day job and taking it on the road?:)
posted by steelergirl at 12:42 PM on November 01, 2006
It sounds like Drew did his best to keep it out of the public eye, but when all else failed and he took legal steps, that placed court documents in the public domain. At which point some enterprising and ethicless reporter made it very public. Once the question was asked in a public forum, Drew had to respond. He could have said a lot more about his mother and their relationship (or lack thereof) but he did not. Just because this woman happens to be his mother does not give her the right to exploit him.
posted by irunfromclones at 01:09 PM on November 01, 2006
At which point some enterprising and ethicless reporter made it very public. That's not what happened. He told the press why he chose to take this public.
posted by rcade at 01:16 PM on November 01, 2006
That's not what happened. He told the press why he chose to take this public. I thought this might be a reasonable response: Posted Oct 31st 2006 12:30PM by Michael David Smith Filed under: Saints, NFC South, NFL Rumors It appears to me that most have assumed that Drew Brees leaked the issue to the press. I am attorney, who has been involved in politics, indeed as a progressive Democrat, much like Mina Brees. I've seen the good, bad and downright ugly of politics. Having researched a bit of the campaign online, it appears that Mina Brees is in a tough political campaign for a Judgeship. The article does not say how the media got a hold of this issue, but is it possible that someone affiliated with the Mina Brees campaign leaked the issue to the press to get some free publicity for her campaign? While the substance of the article, i.e., that her son does not want his likeness used to advance her political ends, which is his right, could be used for or against her, the fact is that the issue has garnered national press and that fact alone could help with her name recognition and, ironically, advance the public knowledge that her son is indeed an NFL quarterback. And someone who fails to protect the use of his public image could lose the legal right to do so in the future, which is why most companies fiercely fight to protect their trademarks and the like. Perhaps Drew Brees is an ungrateful son or perhaps he is protecting his legal rights to remain above the political fray. I would simply suggest that people keep an open mind before condemning one party or the other.
posted by irunfromclones at 01:52 PM on November 01, 2006
Where did that come from, clones? I'm just curious.
posted by wfrazerjr at 02:06 PM on November 01, 2006
From today's Austin American-Statesman: "The New Orleans Saints player said he is speaking out now because she did not acknowledge previous requests to keep him out of the campaign."
posted by rcade at 02:06 PM on November 01, 2006
rcade, that article was great. It makes her look even worse than the ESPN one did. From the article: Sager said Brees is a "morally rudderless political opportunist" who acted unethically by using her son's image for her campaign. Gotta love politics.
posted by bperk at 02:36 PM on November 01, 2006
"morally rudderless political opportunist" Or, to put it more simply, she's a politician.
posted by SummersEve at 02:39 PM on November 01, 2006
I am attorney I'm a simple caveman...your "scientists" found me in a block of ice, thawed me out, and sent me to law school. I find your modern technology to be strange, and terrifying.
posted by The_Black_Hand at 07:48 PM on November 01, 2006
As I said in my initial post " this is normal politics for Texas" We have guy named "Kinky" running for Governor. We have an old woman that bills herself as "one tough Grandma" running for governor. And, it appears that we have a woman that doesn't get along with her son, and was using his likeness to promote her cause as she runs for a Judgeship. Too much fun, but sadly, only the woman that doesn't get along with her son has any chance of winning, though I'm not at all sure what her odds are.
posted by dviking at 09:01 PM on November 01, 2006
I am attorney, who has been involved in politics, Strike Two!
posted by jojomfd1 at 09:43 PM on November 01, 2006
...and I am not a crook.
posted by lil_brown_bat at 09:48 PM on November 01, 2006
wfrazerjr, the attorney comments came from reader comments to an article on AOL Sports. Hope that didn't violate spofi rules.
posted by irunfromclones at 01:39 PM on November 02, 2006
Mr.Brees Be careful someday, and it may be soon, you will need your mommy. You don't get to pick your family, you just have to love and try to accept them. Yes, that can be hard sometimes, but if it weren't for her you would not be here today. I am sure that there were times when she didn't like you a whole lot but that was just an emotion that went away. So you need to make up and make it work. It says alot about a person when they ditch their own MOM! Remember she will always be your mom and you will always be her son, that can't change only you can.
posted by steelerfan at 03:57 PM on November 02, 2006
Simply sad, to try and spin cute or caustic wit in a situation like this would be pitiable.