Maybe you’ll want to beat me up after you read this post, but no worries, I own what I do and say (and I’m not perfect- see where this post is going). Since we moved to the greater New Orleans area in 2007, the Saints have become our home team and we cheer for them just like everyone else in the area. Hubby is torn when they play the Patriots, but otherwise, we have become a Black and Gold family. You may not know this about me, but I used to be an Athletic Trainer, BC (before children). Stood on many a sidelines for college and high school football games and also learned a lot what goes on behind the scenes. A lot of it is stuff you just want to turn your eyes and ears away from. With sports, unfortunately, even at the youth level, comes problems.

Regarding the Saints, Sean Payton, Roger Goodell, Jeremy Shockey, Warren Sapp and anyone and everyone related to this “bounty problem” one way or another, I say to you…let’s move forward. Who cares whether this goes on in other places and they have not been caught (give it time)? That does not make this bounty stuff OK. Was this the equivalent to having stickers on a helmet for a good hit? Maybe… Did the punishment fit the crime? Hard to say…because now the Saints are being made the example. What do we tell our children? This is where I give pause and think about the lessons we teach kids when they do something wrong: ownership, apologizing and dealing with the punishment dished out to them in a mature manner.

Making lemonade out of lemons is what we should be doing. We should bee positive and not hate or point fingers or act like children crying about this. Will this hurt the local economy? Sadly, it may hurt us, temporarily…but New Orleans always rises above adversity. That old expression, any PR is good PR is something we have to embrace NOW. If you have season tickets, go to the game (or give them to me), fill the stadium, book tickets to hotels and make restaurant reservations for home games, wear your Black and Gold proudly and let’s move together forward as the Whodat Nation!

Cheers to the Saints!