Getty Drew Brees with wife, Brittany Brees, at the 2018 NFL Honors.
Drew Brees and his wife Brittany Brees have become an integral part of the New Orleans community. Drew joined the Saints in 2006, less than a year after Hurricane Katrina devastated the region. As the quarterback and his family looked for a new landing spot, something felt right about New Orleans.
“As those few days [of free agency] went by, Drew and I felt that maybe we were being called to New Orleans for a reason,” Brittany explained to Sports Illustrated.
Drew Brees Joined the Saints in 2006 After Beginning His Career With the Chargers
The couple’s four kids (Rylen, Baylen, Bowen and Callen) have been raised in New Orleans. Drew spent the first five seasons of his career with the Chargers, but he has become synonymous with the Saints as the face of the franchise.
It is a story of both parties taking a chance on the other as the quarterback was looking to rebuild his career just as the city was recovering from the aftermath of Katrina. Drew was coming off a significant shoulder injury that caused some teams to pass on the quarterback.
“… I just felt that energy in New Orleans,” Drew noted to ESPN after signing with the Saints in 2006. “From the very beginning there was a genuine feeling that they wanted me there. They believe I can come back from this shoulder injury and lead them to a championship. They were as confident as I am, and that meant a lot.”
Drew not only got busy on the football field but the couple has given back to the community in a variety of ways. Drew and Brittany helped fund a playground in the city that is accessible for children with mobility and sensory challenges as the quarterback explained to Saints.com.
“My wife and I funded it personally, and it was significant,” Drew noted to Saints.com. “But we wanted to do it right and we wanted to really give something to New Orleans that we felt like it didn’t have already. That was a fully inclusive playground. Again, I think that’s the most important element to this that this is a playground for children of all abilities. We built it very specifically with wheelchair ramps, and certain things in mind to make sure that no child is excluded here. That there’s something here for every child.”
Sean Payton Once Texted Brittany Brees to Stop the Saints QB From Ziplining
Brittany wears multiple hats including being a mother to four children but sometimes she even gets a request from the Saints’ head coach. Back in 2016, Brittany received a text from Sean Payton. After Drew posted a photo of a zipline, Sean texted Brittany to request the quarterback refrain from the activity as he feared he would sustain a serious injury.
“Brittany sent me a text right away and said, ‘Tell me if you want me to make him stop.’ I’m like, ‘I want you to make him stop,’” Payton told NFL Network’s Rich Eisen, per Yahoo.com.
Years later, Drew has an opportunity on Monday Night Football to break another record, the NFL’s all-time touchdown leader. Brittany and the couple’s four children will undoubtedly be in attendance at the Superdome, but the family has already made a difference in New Orleans even without the multiple NFL records the quarterback now owns.
