Just when it seemed the sniping over the league's case in the New Orleans Saints bounty scandal had taken every angle imaginable, quarterback Drew Brees decided to chime in late on Monday night, posting a tweet that compared the NFL's alleged bounty evidence to the hunt for weapons of mass destruction in Iraq.
It was not well received by the public.
If NFL fans were told there were "weapons of mass destruction" enough times, they'd believe it. But what happens when you don't find any????
— Drew Brees (@drewbrees) June 19, 2012
After a small firestorm of controversy erupted, Brees walked back his assertion on Tuesday afternoon.
My WMD comment has nothing to do with politics or our brave military. Merely an analogy to show how media influences public perception
— Drew Brees (@drewbrees) June 19, 2012
He apologized after that.
I apologize if the WMD comment offended anyone. Especially our military. There is no one I respect more than our service men and women
— Drew Brees (@drewbrees) June 19, 2012
Brees' remark probably shouldn't have caused the controversy that it did. Of course, there are probably plenty of football fans who feel the same weariness about the ongoing fight over the bounties and all the other incessant skirmishing between players and the league that has colored this offseason, making the league feel very much like, well, a war zone.