“New Orleans you will get everything out of me. I will die on that field for y’all,” Shough writes to punctuate his post. An effective punctuation at that.
No one expects any player to put their life in jeopardy to play football, but the situation highlights two key contrasts.
Messages littered Shough’s previous draft-day posts to the tune of “we don’t want you here,” along other negative sentiments surrounding his being selected by the Saints.
Whether those comments were made by actual Saints fans or perhaps fans of other teams, it would be easy for a player to be impacted by those impressions.
Rather than clap back at those responses, hurling his own negative epitaphs or hiding away, Shough shared a strong message of positivity with his new city.
After New Orleans found it challenging to rally around Carr, perhaps this is exactly the kind of start Shough needed to secure for himself. Embracing the Big Easy off the field is just as important as finding success on it. The connection between the city and Saints’ franchise is unlike any other in professional sports.
Shough is taking the right angle here, working to earn the respect of the fanbase early. Ultimately, everything will come down to his performance on the field once called upon, rookie season or otherwise. But this message to his new audience is a striking and successful one to make ahead of his arrival.
