'Thank you for your prayers': New Orleans Saints thank Pope Francis for his accidental blessing



Pope Francis left readers confused after a social media post accidentally generated support for the New Orleans Saints football team.

The leader of the Catholic church, Pope Francis (born Jorge Mario Bergoglio), issued a thoughtful message through his social media platforms about why saints are an illustration of the good in humanity.

"The #Saints are precious pearls and are always living and relevant because they provide a fascinating commentary on the Gospel," the pope's post began.

The pope's message continued, "Their lives are an illustration of the Good News that Jesus brought to humanity: God is our Father, who loves everyone with boundless love."

However, little did the pope know that his use of the hashtag "#Saints" on X would produce the NFL team's logo, the fleur-de-lis.

— (@)

Fans quickly jumped on the harmless error and connected it to the Saints' recent firing of Coach Dennis Allen.

"Even the Pope is excited we fired Dennis Allen," a fan quickly replied.

Even the Pope is excited we fired Dennis Allen
— Jono Barnes (@JonoBarnes) November 5, 2024

"Losing to the Panthers was so bad that they had to call up the Pope," another fan wrote.

A third fan excitedly suggested that the pope's blessing "might turn their season around."

Losing to the Panthers was so bad that they had to call up the Pope
— Jonny Mondo  (@jmondo13) November 5, 2024

The Saints themselves weren't going to let this opportunity go to waste. They soon shared the post and offered their thanks.

"Thank you for your prayers, Pontiff. We need them," the Saints' X post said.

Attached was a photo of Gayle Benson, owner of the football team, gifting Pope Francis his own Saints jersey that read "Papa Francesco" on the back.

Benson presented the jersey to the pope earlier in 2024 during a trip to Italy and Germany. The owner was meeting with Italian leaders in economic development and tourism to promote business opportunities in New Orleans and Louisiana as a whole.

The Saints are just 2-7 in 2024, sit dead last in the NFC, and are tied for last overall in the NFL.

Their season will not get any easier when they play the Atlanta Falcons Sunday, November 10; the Falcons lead their division with a 6-3 record.

New Orleans Saints fans dress up as the pope at FedEX Field in Maryland.Photo by Randy Litzinger/Icon SMI/Icon Sport Media via Getty Images

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Thank You, Sean Payton, For Helping Bring Back New Orleans With Football

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Saints delete tweet showing Drew Brees in #SayHerName shirt after complaints it was for pro-Trump shooting victim Ashli Babbitt



The New Orleans Saints deleted a tweet showing quarterback Drew Brees wearing a #SayHerName shirt before Sunday's playoff game against the Chicago Bears — which he and other players have worn all season to draw attention to the Breonna Taylor shooting — over complaints Brees actually wore it for Ashli Babbitt, a supporter of President Donald Trump who was fatally shot by police during last week's Capitol siege, USA Today's For the Win reported.

What's the background?

Brees apparently is having a tough time living down off-season controversy in which he stood against NFL players kneeling during national anthem and said he'll "never agree with anybody disrespecting the flag of the United States of America."

Teammate Malcolm Jenkins ripped Brees for his stance, saying in a now-deleted video that "we're done talking, Drew. And people who share your sentiments, who express those and push them throughout the world, the airwaves, are the problem ... it's unfortunate because I considered you a friend. I looked up to you. You're somebody who I had a great deal of respect for. But sometimes you should shut the f*** up."

The next day Brees apologized: "I would like to apologize to my friends, teammates, the City of New Orleans, the black community, NFL community and anyone I hurt with my comments yesterday," he wrote in a lengthy post. "In speaking with some of you, it breaks my heart to know the pain I have caused."

Then after Trump argued that Brees shouldn't have backed down, Brees pushed back with a message to the president, saying "we can no longer use the flag to turn people away or distract them from the real issues that face our black communities."

Twitter mob triumphs again

So even after Brees' massive mea culpa, the Twitter mob apparently didn't take kindly to the Saints' tweet showing Brees in the #SayHerName warm-up shirt — and For the Win said "fans speculated in the Saints' mentions that Brees was possibly co-opting the Breonna Taylor social justice hashtag for Ashli Babbitt."

Here's what other woke detractors had to say:

  • "Drew Brees got on a say her name shirt for that white lady that got killed at the capital but wouldn't stand on black issues," one Twitter user noted. "Yeah Saints losing by 10."
  • "Brees definitely wore that Tee shirt for the lady killed in D.C.," another user said. "He has always been a closet racist in my mind."
  • "Nah, man Saints fan explain this s**t!!!!!!" one Twitter user exclaimed.
  • "Drew Brees wearing a #sayhername shirt is almost hilarious," another commenter said. "After all the crap he said about kneeling. He wants us to believe this now?"
  • "So... is Drew Brees wearing that shirt for Breonna Taylor or for that dumb chick who got shot down like a possum after rioting in the Capitol? another user asked.
  • "I'm pretty offended seeing Drew Brees rock a sayhername shirt," another commenter said.

With that, the tweet was deleted — but as you no doubt know by now, all things tend to survive on the Internet:

Image source: Twitter

The Saints soon tweeted another photo — without Brees as the visual focal point — noting that the shirt "is for the Saints Players Coalition initiative to amplify the voices and experiences of black women."

#SayHerName shirt is for the Saints Players Coalition initiative to amplify the voices and experiences of black wom… https://t.co/bXBjLdRHKk
— New Orleans Saints (@New Orleans Saints)1610311435.0

Oh, and the Saints failed to lose by 10, as the aforementioned Twitter user predicted — rather they won by 12, with Brees tossing two touchdown passes in a 21-9 victory over the Bears.

NFL hits New Orleans Saints with massive fine, draft penalty for celebrating without face masks



The New Orleans Saints were hit with a massive fine and costly penalty over the weekend for celebrating their recent win against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, an NFL South division rival, without face coverings.

What are the details?

Following their dominating 38-3 win over the Buccaneers on Nov. 8, Saints players and the team's coaching staff allegedly celebrated without wearing face masks. In response, league officials have fined the team a whopping $500,000 and revoked a seventh-round draft pick, according to ESPN.

Videos posted to social media showed numerous players and head coach Sean Payton celebrating postgame in their locker room without masks. Those videos circulated online and apparently caught the attention of league officials.

League sources told ESPN reporter Mike Triplett that the Saints' discipline was directly in response to the team's non-masked activity in the locker room after the game.

"It was actions in the video with unmasked players in the locker room after the game," the source said. "The team also had previous violations and was provided ample warning that further actions would result in escalated discipline."

Why such a harsh penalty?

The Saints are not the first team to be penalized for violating the NFL's COVID-19 protocol. The New England Patriots, for example, were tagged with a $350,000 fine for not following league rules after quarterback Cam Newton tested positive for COVID-19 last month, ESPN reported.

However, the Saints are a repeat offender, leading to the more severe penalty.

In fact, the team has already been hit with one COVID-related penalty. Head coach Sean Payton was hit with a $100,000 fine and the team with a $250,000 fine after Payton was caught without a face covering during a game in September.

Nor are the Saints the first NFL team to receive such a stiff fine levied against them for COVID reasons — that distinction belongs to the Las Vegas Raiders.

From USA Today in early November:

After Raiders right tackle Trent Brown tested positive for COVID-19 two weeks ago, the NFL found video evidence that included several players not wearing masks or face shields and not adhering to social distancing on the sidelines, a person with knowledge of the league's investigation told USA TODAY Sports under the condition of anonymity. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to reveal details of the probe. The investigation also found that Brown removed the electronic contact tracing device that players and staff members are required to wear as a tool for mitigating spread.

In response, the NFL fined the Raiders $500,000, stripped the franchise of a sixth-round draft pick, and fined head coach Jon Gruden $150,000.