Leonard Fournette might play for one of the Saints' chief rivals, but he was quick to offer a helping hand to his native New Orleans.
The St. Augustine alum and former LSU star who now plays for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers pledged $100,000 to the city as it recovers from the devastation of Hurricane Ida, which left the entire metro area without power after it lashed Louisiana on Sunday.
Along with the donation, Fournette said "everything and anything helps let's keep it going...... luv my city."
But Fournette wasn't the only member of the NFC South to lend a helping hand. Falcons owner Arthur Blank also pledged $1 million to Hurricane Ida relief efforts.
"We hope to play a small part in helping those communities recover by supporting two organizations providing relief on the ground," read a statement announcing the donations. "We encourage others to join the effort to lift those impacted by this storm."
The donations will be $500,000 each to the Greater New Orleans Foundation and American Red Cross, the statement said.
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Saints owner Gayle Benson announced on Monday that she'd also be pledging $1 million to relief efforts. She and the team coordinated an evacuation to the Dallas area for personnel, players and family ahead of the storm, where they remain as they assess a longer-term plan for their practice facility and where they might host home games if the city and Caesars Superdome is unable to host games.
Saints coach Sean Payton said Tuesday that both TCU and SMU have reached out to offer their facilities, and said the Dallas Cowboys' AT&T Stadium could be a realistic option for the season-opener against the Green Bay Packers on Sept. 12. He added that the team is planning contingencies for a month away from home, with the caveat that they could return earlier should conditions improve.
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The entire metro New Orleans area remains without power two days after the storm due to significant damage to all eight transmission lines that power the city, and there remains no clear timetable as to when the city might get the lights back on.