Cam Jordan has a long list of New Orleans accomplishments in his 14 years with the New Orleans Saints, and he's about to check another one off: Pickleball aficionado.
The longtime Saints DE got into the growing sport last year -- one that former Saints QB Drew Brees is heavily involved with -- and he's kicking off an inaugural tournament this week, which he discussed in length this week on WWL Radio.
"I ain't perfect on the courts, but I love it," Jordan said.
Hear the full interview with Cam Jordan, reflecting on his career and several Saints topics, in the player above. Can't see the embed? Click here.
The tournament will be a "king of the court" format, with the winner of each match moving up courts until the top three players are decided. Details of the event and how to participate can be found at this link, with all proceeds benefitting the Cam Jordan Foundation. The proceeds will help fund Jordan's future endeavors around the city, which starting this year have included a scholarship program that is fully covering the tuition of four local students to attend Louisiana colleges. Jordan hopes to see that program expand in the coming years.
"Seeing these kids smile, knowing that they don’t have to worry about that college debt, knowing that they don’t have to do anything but focus on the alleys that they want to pursue, that’s what I’m excited about," Jordan said. "I saw those kids, I met those kids, I read – you know, what did we have, over 100 applications and all we could pick was four and that broke my heart. I was like I’ve got to do more to raise more to get more kids college, because there’s so many well-deserving kids in our Louisiana area."
Related
MORE FROM CAM JORDAN
On the Saints young QBs
"Spencer Rattler, Tyler Shough, we’re talking about, they’ve been lighting it up all OTAs," Jordan said. "You’ve seen the prettiest deep balls being thrown from Spencer Rattler, I mean, to Tyler Shough and just the way he approaches the game, his mentality, his drive, the way he establishes drives, you’ve seen so many positives from both of them, but I’m a veteran of the game, I don’t believe in what we look like without pads.
"When we put pads on, I can give an honest opinion, right now we’ve got nothing but excitement and hope with those two guys. You look at Tyler Shough and I’m like, he’s coming in like a pro. He’s coming in mindset, all right, this is the offense, this is how I can call it, this is how I can make it my own touch. You see Spencer Rattler, second year in the league, he got to touch the field last year and he didn’t get to see a healthy offensive line. So, people have been like, oh, well, Tyler Shough, you don’t get it, this kid is a baller. He was working with two guys that were starting on the offensive line versus all five, you give him a chance, we’ll see what happens."
On new DL coach Bo Davis
“When you’re watching him as he works with the interior D-line, as he’s working with Bryan Bresee as he’s working with … Jonah Williams and, I mean, Khristian Boyd, as he works with Davon Godchaux, you’re seeing the effort, you’re seeing the passion and [he’s] got a lot of passion," Jordan said. "I was like, you know, I don’t know where he’s from but he was born of old-school football. That’s probably the last of the fire and brimstone guys that you’re going to get and these new-age kids, they’re 2000 babies, they ain’t built like that, but you love to see it, just the passion that he brings to the table.”
On Cam's offseason routine
“Any year that you say hey, I figured it out, is a year that you’ve wasted. Any day you that you wake up and you say, you know what, I think I’m good today, is a day that you have put to bed when you could succeed and push yourself further. I’ve always looked at it like hey, this is a year to define myself. This is a year where I make myself known. This is a year where I have to go earn it, because each one of those opportunities is rare. I mean, I’ve seen guys come and go. I’ve seen guys with all the talent in the world miss out on the opportunity. I’ve seen guys who are given all the opportunities in the world take advantage and succeed. I’ve seen teammates, I’ve seen myself projected however it was and beat those expectations. At the end of it all, at the root of it all it’s all about your hard work. It’s all about your effort and your want to, your ambitions. What is is that’s going to wake you up in the morning and drive you to the next level."