Posted on 10/31/2006 7:57:44 AM PST by Cat loving Texan
Brees vs. Brees: NFL player tells mother to stop using his imae in political ads Mina Brees says she has taped new version of ad that doesn't use Drew Brees' image
By Marty Toohey AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF Tuesday, October 31, 2006
Drew Brees wants no part of his mother's political aspirations.
The NFL quarterback and Westlake High School graduate has told Mina Brees, an Austin attorney, to stop using his picture in TV commercials as she runs for a spot on Texas' 3rd Court of Appeals, saying their relationship is now "nonexistent" after souring six years ago.
"I think the major point here is that my mother is using me in a campaign, and I've made it known many times I don't want to be involved," he said Monday.
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.
She said replacement spots have been sent to TV stations.
The commercial in question has been airing on local stations. It includes a picture of Drew Brees in a San Diego Chargers uniform (his former team) and notes Mina Brees' football ties: She is also the daughter of a successful high school coach and the sister of former University of Texas quarterback Marty Akins.
Mina Brees, a Democrat, is running for a spot on the court that reviews civil and criminal cases from 24 counties in Central and West Texas. Her opponent is incumbent Republican Justice David Puryear.
Drew Brees said that when he heard about the spots, he called his mother and asked her to stop them. She did not return his calls or stop using his image, he said, and his agent sent her a letter Oct. 20 threatening legal action.
Mina Brees, 56, said a version of the spot that omits mentions of her son Drew was taped last week and sent to TV stations Friday.
KVUE Television, an ABC affiliate, received the new version late in the day Friday, sales director Jill Fredericks said. Fredericks said that the last of the campaign's old commercials ran Sunday and that new ones were scheduled to begin airing today. Mina Brees said that "everything in the ad was true" and that she did not anticipate it upsetting her son. She said the connection to football is relevant to her campaign because through sports, her father, Ray Akins, taught her a strong work ethic that she would bring to a career as a judge.
She said her other qualifications include being a president of the Austin Bar Association and having 27 years of legal experience. She noted that in a State Bar of Texas poll, 1,228 lawyers picked her as the better choice, compared with 914 who voted for Puryear.
She said of her relationship with her son: "I love Drew very much, and I'm very proud of him. But sometimes when people are following a career path, they change."
Drew Brees led Westlake to a state championship in football before graduating in 1997 and becoming the starting quarterback at Purdue University.
He signed a six-year, $60 million contract in the past off-season with the Saints.
During his senior year at Purdue, he said, their relationship crumbled after he refused to hire her as his agent. He said she later undercut his dealings with other agents and tried to sell a book about him to Sports Illustrated without his knowledge.
"There is definitely history," he said. "It's got nothing to do with my career path. I've just gotten older, and my eyes have opened to the lies and manipulation."
He added that her commercials were sending a message of, " 'If you don't know much about the election, vote for me because I know Drew' . . . and that is a shame because the political process should be decided on your credentials."
Mina Brees said her son's allegations are mischaracterizations.
She said that the book was a set of her memoirs about following her son through a season and that a Sports Illustrated writer, Tim Layden, told her in response to inquiries that it would not garner much interest. She said she had no intention of becoming her son's agent but took the NFL Players Association agent test to help her and Drew's father screen prospective agents while her son was still in college.
"I have never asked for a penny from Drew," she said.
She also said she received no messages asking her not to include information about him in her campaign.
Alan Sager, chairman of the Travis County Republican Party, said Mina Brees should pull out of the race. Sager said Brees is a "morally rudderless political opportunist" who acted unethically by using her son's image for her campaign.
But Chris Elliott, chairman of the Travis County Democratic Party, said Sager is making "a mountain out of a molehill."
mtoohey@statesman.com; 445-3673
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I guess she figures she doesn't have a chance without him!
Drew, if you can't get you mom to stop via a phonecall, you are a wuss.
Why was I not surprised to see a (D) after her name?
This of course goes beyond the regular dem fibbing when one uses one's own flesh-and-blood, against their wishes, for personal gain.
Absolutely sickening.
Some would consider this a negative endorsement.
Now that is not fair. How can you blame the son for the mother's deaf ear. It took legal threats to get "mom" to stop. That is an indictment of her character, not a lack of his toughness. That is especially true when the son goes up against some of the most physically astute citizens of this country.
Sorry but your statement is just blaming the victim.
Must be some particularly bad blood.
When Drew-boy Quarterbacked at Purdue he enjoyed some success, so naturally he was pursued by the quisling mediots in his Senior year inquiring of his future plans.
He said during the interview -- I watched -- he aspired to one day run for POTUS on the Democrat ticket.
I wanted to puke.
That day Purdue was playing the WI Badgers, my guys.
After hearing the idiot say that now *really* I wanted to see Purdue get the snot kicked outa 'em more than ever.
Purdue led most of the game until the the last minute when the young 'Rat-to-be was trying to put the game away, instead he was thrown on his pin-sized head & fumbled the ball.
WI recovered & returned it for the *winning* TD with time running out.
Just desserts.
...if ever there were. ;^)
I think there is good chance that he may have not only altered his goal but his party affiliation.
Glad to see you got your sweet revenge at the expense of a broken family. /sarc
Tiller and Orton often talk presidential politics, and things can get animated because Tiller supports President Bush and Orton supports Senator John Kerry. After Tiller saw a speech on C-Span recently about immigration, he got a copy of it and lent it to Orton to watch.
http://news.uns.purdue.edu/Clips/2004/oct/041018.Morrison.Orton.html
Drew's mom and dad are divorced. He also has a step-mom. I'm sure that has something to do with this.
Well...
He still makes $59,950,000 more than I do...
Whether or not he is worth it, I'd still have not let this go public, and take my mom down with it...
Regardless of political affiliation and office...
But I guess thats just me...My mom is a moderate Democrat, as is most of her family that I know of...
My conservative and moral side compels me to honor and respect my mother and father regardless if something petty like this gets in the way and rubs me wrong...
And I would certainly jump on a plane (especially with those kinda bucks) and have a face to face with her before I'd sic a legal vulture on her for something like this...
Some folks are right...I think he's a wuss for not at least confronting her privately and before any stupid legal action being necessary...
I think we have a bit too much drama in this anyway...
Mom's not going to win anyway...
You "think"?
I disagree.
"Glad to see you got your sweet revenge at the expense of a broken family. /sarc":
Was it broken at the time of the football game in question?
No, don't think so.
Did *I* know his family was in [any] trouble?
No.
Am I fan of Big 10 football?
Yes.
Does Purdue *&* WI belong to the Big 10?
Yes.
Are you a moron, torch?
...absolutely. ;^)
Kyle Orton is the moonbat you are referring to, not Drew Brees. His dad is some high-level Department of Labor lawyer in Iowa.
Believe me, that Wisconsin-Purdue game and the gift from Kyle Orton still roils the Boiler faithful.
Y'know there's a very good chance I've Orton & Brees mixed-up.
It can happen when you've seen graduating classes in the Big 10 come & go.
...over 50 years. ;^)
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