As Saints quarterback and future Hall of Famer
Drew Brees disappeared in the tunnel Sunday night after a playoff loss to Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Bucs, he turned around as if he knew that would be his last memory of the Saints home dome wearing a Saints uniform.
The look on Brees’ face as he sat on the sidelines trailing the Bucs with under 4 minutes to play appeared to reflect the reality that his career was ending. As he jogged onto the field after the final tick, Brees looked like he was holding back deep emotions. After an embrace and brief exchange with Bucs’ QB Tom Brady, Brees put on and took off his helmet a few times as he headed for the exit. In what may have been a moment of reflection, Brees put his helmet on and looked up and gestured as to thank God for all football had given him through his career. He blew kisses to his wife and daughter and a fist bump to his sons in a suite.
The most touching moment of Brees running off the field last night was when he began to enter the tunnel. Before Brees disappeared from view, he seemingly turned around to take one last look at the place where he established that he will always be one of the GOATs of the NFL. It was impossible to watch Brees take that one last look back and not think about the range of emotions he must have been feeling. The loss to Brady and the Bucs was disappointing; and for the 3rd straight year, the Saints were booted out of the playoffs.
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Compounding the disappointment of the loss was that the Saints appeared to have everything the team needed to finish the journey to the Super Bowl, but it was not to be. With so much positive anticipation about this year, the players and the fans are left wondering what next season will look like. Some players may be gone, and some the Sean Payton’s coaching staff will be gone as a result of their talent and work with the Saints. It’s sad, but it is a tribute to the experience coaches received under Payton’s leadership.
The Saints lost and the season is over, but we had a season! As the coronavirus pandemic worsened in the spring and summer, we were not sure the NFL would be able to play games. But amid the fear that there would be no season, the NFL put together a season. It was fraught with speed bumps from players testing positive for COVID-19, but we had a season and that should be reason to be positive.
As for Drew Brees - during the post-game press conference Brees said things that support the conventional wisdom that he will be retiring.
Brees’ comments carried a tone of reflection when he responded to a question about regrets for the past season. Brees said, “I would never regret it. Never. No complaints, no regrets. Man, I’ve always tried to play this game with a great respect, and a great reverence for it. I appreciate all that this game has given me.” Brees talked about how much he learned about himself playing the game of football and referenced how much he had to fight through this season.
Drew Brees may have won only one Super Bowl, but he set records that may never be broken. He is destined to be inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame as soon as he is eligible. Brees was a winner of more than a solo Super Bowl ring. Drew Brees was, and is, a winner in life. The example that he has set as a player, a leader, a father, and a person who always took time to care and to give back is greater victories than winning multiple Super Bowls.
Drew Brees will leave a lasting legacy that will endure forever. The players and the people he touched and the fans that gained from his presence on the field and in our community will be a little different because of who he is as a person.
There will be much more to say when it is confirmed that Brees is retiring.
But he will go on to have an amazing career in broadcasting and will remain as a reminder of what it means to live life with dignity. The character of a person is not determined by the trophies they win. The true character of a person is determined by the example they set on dealing with victories, defeats and the challenges that life always presents.
I feel confident Drew Brees will remain a part of New Orleans. It can be said that people come in and out of our lives - but some leave their fingerprints on our hearts.
Thanks, Drew!
