NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) – State and local elected officials praised Sean Payton’s accomplishments as head coach of the New Orleans Saints. Their collective reaction was that Payton did great things for the team, the city of New Orleans and the state and they wished him well as he retires.
Mayor Latoya Cantrell issued the following statement:
“Sean Payton delivered the first-ever Super Bowl to the City of New Orleans, and for over 16 years, he made the Saints a force to be reckoned with. Thank you, Coach Payton, for all that you did for the WhoDat nation!”
New Orleans City Council President Helena Moreno said Peyton gave the city something it had longed for: A Super Bowl win.
“I’m sad, you know, I’m just a big Sean Payton fan and I think that he was really a great coach for the Saints but also really great for the city of New Orleans and of course, you know, Sean really like experiencing the whole Katrina situation with all of us, just a couple of years later coming back and winning that Superbowl, I mean those are really just unforgettable moments for us New Orleanians and we love the coach,” said Moreno.
Council Vice President J.P. Morrell voiced similar sentiments.
“I wouldn’t call it throwing in the towel, Sean has had an impressive record, his win record with the Saints is amazing. I think it’s a little painful for New Orleanians because we lost Drew last year, now we’ve lost Sean and we’re essentially rebuilding the team, but I want to really thank him for his years of service to the city of New Orleans, to our community. He has always been someone who has been a partner with the city and all of our efforts and we certainly look forward to him hopefully hanging around as a citizen as Drew has to continue to contribute,” said Morrell.
And Governor John Bel Edwards said Payton led the team to a winning season even though the Saints did not land in the playoffs.
“I think the relationship that he had with Drew Brees for all of that time will be one that goes down into the history books of the NFL, so I just wish him nothing but the best because not only is the Saints and I about the same age but me and Coach Payton are about the same age too, so I know he’s a young man,” said Edwards.
Edwards said as an optimist he is already looking forward to the new coach and feels confident the team will continue to be successful.
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