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01-26-2010 03:59 PM |
Joe Horn Interview
Quote:
"I never sat in the stands before, but I was up there with the fans, and they were just stunned to see me," Horn said, telling FanHouse that he bought his own ticket to watch his old team clobber the Cardinals. "I wanted to sit in the nose-bleed section. I wanted to be with the rowdy of the rowdies, and I also wanted to be me, and that's exactly what I was. The 50 to 100 people who got the autographs and the hugs from me, they got them, and they enjoyed themselves, and I enjoyed myself.
"But they kept asking me throughout the game, 'Joe, we love it that you're up here with us, sharing your hot dogs, eating popcorn with us, enjoying the game with us, but why aren't you down on the sidelines right now?'
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Quote:
"I've never mentioned any of this before, but I'll do it now," Horn told FanHouse, recalling a time in 2005, when Hurricane Katrina forced the Saints to practice and play in San Antonio. Horn had two visitors back then. One was the late Gene Upshaw, the head of the NFL Players Association, and the other was Paul Tagliabue, the league's commissioner. They approached Horn, because he was the Saints' undisputed leader, consummate professional and noted straight-shooter.
When they asked Horn the question of the moment, they had the look of two executives on the edge of a decision. What decision?
They didn't know.
That's why Horn became huge.
"They pulled me to the side, and they said these words to me, and this is something that a lot of fans will be surprised to hear," Horn said, adding: "They asked me, 'Joe, how do you feel about the team staying in San Antonio or going back to New Orleans?' And I looked at both of them, and I said, 'I don't think it's fair for the fans who live and die for the Saints to have to rebuild that city alone. I think we should go back and help them rebuild that city.' This was before anybody else came to the Saints (like Brees and Bush) or any new coach brought in his program (like Payton).
"The next morning, I woke up and watched ESPN and the Saints were being awarded back to New Orleans. That made me happy. "
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Saints Ignore Their True Hero: Joe Horn -- NFL FanHouse |
