In a vote by his teammates, New Orleans Saints tight end Foster Moreau has been named the club's 2023 Ed Block Courage Award winner, which is given annually to a player from each National Football League team that has persevered through adversity.
The award was created in honor of the former head athletic trainer of the Baltimore Colts to annually recognize one player from every NFL team who best exemplifies a commitment to sportsmanship and courage.
Moreau's teammates voted him as the club's winner based on his work ethic and perseverance through a battle with cancer before signing with the team.
A New Orleans native, who was a football and basketball standout at Jesuit High School and a four-year letterman at tight end at LSU (2015-18), Moreau was selected by the Oakland Raiders in the fourth round (137th overall) of the 2019 NFL Draft. Moreau spent his first four NFL seasons with the Raiders, where he played in 61 games with 34 starts and recorded 91 receptions for 1,107 yards (12.2 avg.) with 12 touchdowns.
Moreau became an unrestricted free agent following the conclusion of the 2022 season, where he set career-highs in receptions (33) and receiving yards (420) and among his first visits was to the New Orleans Saints. A routine free agent physical in New Orleans in March, resulted in a diagnosis of Nodular Lymphocyte-Predominant Hodgkins Lymphoma (NLPHL) for Moreau.
Fortunately for Moreau, NLPHL was a highly treatable form of Hodgkin's Lymphoma. Following advice of his oncologist, Moreau's prescribed treatment was undergoing four sessions, receiving doses of Rituximab, a monoclonal antibody. For the treatments, Moreau would be attached to an IV drip.
On May 10, the day after Moreau's final treatment, he agreed to terms with the Saints on a multi-year contract with the expectation and belief that he would be able to play for the team in 2023 without restrictions. Moreau immediately joined the team's offseason strength and conditioning program and participated in all OTAs, veteran's minicamp and training camp practices.
Moreau has ended up playing an important role for a rapidly improving Black and Gold team on both offense and special teams that is making a push for the NFC South division title. He has appeared in 12 games with eight starts and ranks second among the team's tight ends in receiving with 18 catches for 164 yards with one touchdown. Moreau also had to rehab from an ankle injury suffered in Week Two that caused him to miss the next two contests. Upon his return to action on October 8, at the New England Patriots, he scored his first touchdown as a Saint on a six-yard grab.
Off-the-field given his personal circumstance, Moreau serves as a staunch advocate for using his platform to encourage suggested medical checkups and cancer screenings.
