New Orleans Saints to do community service on first day of camp in West Virginia
Sean Payton cooked up a heartfelt surprise for his New Orleans Saints players to kick off the start of training camp on Wednesday in Sulphur Springs, West Virginia.
The Saints coach bucked camp tradition and scrapped the annual “conditioning test” while instead enlisting his players for a community service project that demonstrated genuine support for the people of a region that was recently ravaged by massive flooding.
“There will be a lot of happy linemen,” Payton told USA TODAY Sports.
Rather than running the gassers that provide an indication of a player’s level of conditioning – which was scheduled to take place after a noon meeting -- Payton crafted a plan to put his 90 players on buses that would transport them to a park that they could help rebuild. They were also slated to pass out water and supplies to residents still feeling the effects of the record flooding in June that destroyed hundreds of homes and claimed the lives of at least 26 people.
That the Saints opened camp with such a socially responsible gesture is to be commended.
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“I think our players will embrace the opportunity to do something,” Payton said before arriving at the camp on Tuesday. “When you hear ‘once-in-a-thousand-year flood,’ it really hits home. This was up on them like an earthquake.”
The Saints undoubtedly have experience in contributing to a community reeling from the effects of a natural disaster, having played an active role for years in the rebuilding of New Orleans and the Gulf of Mexico region after Hurricane Katrina. The team also pitched in with cleanup efforts after the BP oil spill in 2010.
“This is an opportunity for us to have a small impact, and just a presence,” Payton said. “Hopefully, our just being there is a positive. There were so many homes damaged. People without insurance. If it helps someone to temporarily take their minds off of serious problems by coming over to practice, that’s a good thing.”
Although the PGA event was canceled at the plush resort where the Saints are headquartered, the Greenbrier, the Saints didn’t hesitate to continue with plans to stage their training camp again in West Virginia after it was apparent that there was minimal damage to the camp site.
Payton didn’t visit the area until arriving on the team’s chartered flight on Tuesday, but said that the team staffers who checked out the grounds weeks in advance confirmed conditions.
Clearly, when something like this happens,” Payton said, “our primary mindset is, ‘We’re coming unless you tell us not to.”
Follow NFL columnist Jarrett Bell on Twitter @JarrettBell