NEW ORLEANS — If you follow Saints punter Thomas Morstead on Instagram you see his wife and four children come first. Helping other children is also important through his foundation "What you give will grow."
Thursday he donated his book “The Middle School Rules” to children in Ochsner Hospital and spent virtual time with them.
"Why did you write this book?" asks Brayden, a patient at Ochsner.
His most important lesson, he told them, was in high school, missing a PAT in state championship playoffs. He could have blamed the more narrow NFL goal posts in the Astrodome. Instead he took responsibility and overheard his dad say he was proud.
"Ever since then, I've just always tried to take accountability for everything that goes on in my life, and I think that’s one of the quickest ways to being happy," Morstead said.
He’s gotten creative with training during the pandemic, kicking over the power lines near his home. His car windshield took the brunt of one.
"I can’t not train. And I need to be staying ready, and as I’m getting older, it’s more important now than ever."
And when it comes to the coronavirus and the future, he is optimistic.
"There’s a lot of really smart people, a lot of people very motivated to get this done, so that gives me a lot of hope that we’re going to get there as quickly as possible," he said.
And during a time when people are not working, he joined former Saints player Jed Collins to post about financial literacy and budgeting.
"It was really cool hearing neighbors say, 'Hey, keep posting. I’m sitting down with my 12-year-old or 15-year-old everyday. We’re going over it together."
He says his Main Squeeze smoothies are a passion, helping him teach health and balance to the people and city he loves.
"New Orleans has definitely brought a balance to my life that I probably needed. New Orleans isn’t so worried about tomorrow. People give the shirt off their back," Morstead said.
He says it’s unclear how the pandemic will change the NFL season. And when it comes to supporting teammates and any type of protest, he is growing in his understanding.
"I look forward to being part of whatever our collective team decides to do. I’m sure it will be powerful and I’m excited to be a part of that."
Morstead says there is a lot of leadership in the Saints locker room and any conflict there has been has only helped them to grow.
► Get breaking news from your neighborhood delivered directly to you by downloading the new FREE WWL-TV News app now in the IOS App Store or Google Play.
