With the New Orleans Saints displaced in Dallas after Hurricane Ida and in need of a home base for the foreseeable future, the offers for a temporary home were immediate.
Both TCU in Fort Worth and SMU in Dallas offered the use of their facilities, with the team announcing Wednesday it would take up the Horned Frogs' offer and set up shop there until New Orleans is able to accommodate the team's return.
And TCU's message was equally heartwarming: "Our home is your home, we’re with you Louisiana."
The Saints will have access to the Horned Frogs' facilities as they prepare for Week 1 and beyond. It had been announced earlier in the day that the Saints' "home" opener against the Green Bay Packers would be played at TIAA Bank Field in Jacksonville, with the Caesars Superdome unavailable with a majority of New Orleans still without power and battling the aftermath of the Category 4 storm that thrashed much of south Louisiana over the weekend.
The Saints evacuated to the Dallas area ahead of the storm and after the cancellation of its preseason finale against the Arizona Cardinals, where they had been staying in a hotel and working at the Cowboys' AT&T Stadium. The stadium in Arlington is unavailable to use for Week 1 due to a concert scheduled for the following week.
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"We are cognizant of fact that TCU and their student-athletes and staff are hard at work in their preparations for their season and understand the stress and strains an NFL team will place on their facilities," Saints GM Mickey Loomis said in the team's statement. "They have our organization’s most sincere appreciation for their sacrifices.”
Loomis said earlier in the day that the team is hopeful to return to the Superdome for the majority of its scheduled home games in the 2021 season, the next coming in Week 4 against the visiting New York Giants. The Saints travel to face the New England Patriots in Week 2, then the Carolina Panthers in Week 3.
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