New Orleans Saints linebacker Demario Davis grew up in Brandon and Collins, Miss.
Sue Davis - Saints linebacker Demario Davis' mom - sifts through her "scrap bag" of news clippings, programs, and assorted memorabilia of her son's career at her home in Pearl, Mississippi, where Demario spent his teen years.
Photographed Thursday, December 13, 2018.
Behind her are Demario's jerseys from Brandon High School, Arkansas State, Cleveland Browns and the New York Jets.
Sue Davis - Saints linebacker Demario Davis' mom - sifts through her "scrap bag" of news clippings, programs, and assorted memorabilia of her son's career at her home in Pearl, Mississippi, where Demario spent his teen years.
Photographed Thursday, December 13, 2018.
New Orleans Saints linebacker Demario Davis spent his childhood years here in Collins, Mississippi - where he lived with his grandparents, shooting hoops in the side yard and learning the basics of football in the street with his cousins.
Photographed Thursday, December 13, 2018.
New Orleans Saints linebacker Demario Davis spent some of his childhood years playing here at Westside Park when he lived a few blocks away with his grandparents in Collins, Mississippi.
Photographed Thursday, December 13, 2018.
Future Saints linebacker Demario Davis spent his childhood years living here at his grandparent's home in Collins, Mississippi - shooting hoops in the side yard and learning the basics of football in the street with his cousins.
Photographed Thursday, December 13, 2018.
Robert Hathorne is the uncle of Saints linebacker Demario Davis. Demario spent his childhood years living here at his grandparent's home (and here across the street in a second family home) in Collins, Mississippi - shooting hoops in the side yard and learning the basics of football in the street with his cousins.
Photographed Thursday, December 13, 2018.
Hope Magee Jones (the mayor of Collins, Mississippi) and her grandson Elijah Keys walk in front of their home in Collins, Mississippi.
Hope is the aunt of Saints linebacker Demario Davis, who spent his childhood years living at his grandparent's home in Collins, Mississippi - shooting hoops in the side yard and learning the basics of football in the street with his cousins.
Photographed Thursday, December 13, 2018.
Hope Magee Jones (the mayor of Collins, Mississippi) leaves her home in Collins for work.
Hope is the aunt of Saints linebacker Demario Davis, who spent his childhood years living here when it was owned by his grandparent's - shooting hoops in the side yard and learning the basics of football in the street with his cousins.
Photographed Thursday, December 13, 2018.
Future Saints linebacker Demario Davis spent his childhood years living here at his grandparent's home in Collins, Mississippi - shooting hoops in the side yard and learning the basics of football in the street with his cousins.
Photographed Thursday, December 13, 2018.
Family of Demario Davis, New Orleans Saints, Thursday, December 13, 2018.
Family of Demario Davis, New Orleans Saints, Thursday, December 13, 2018.
Elijah Keys plays in the street between two family homes in Collins, Mississippi as his cousin Maranda Magee follows with the umbrella.
They are both cousins to Saints linebacker Demario Davis, who spent his childhood years living here at his grandparent's home in Collins, Mississippi - shooting hoops in the side yard and learning the basics of football in the street with his cousins.
Photographed Thursday, December 13, 2018.
Family of Demario Davis, New Orleans Saints, Thursday, December 13, 2018.
Hope Magee Jones, center keeps tabs on her grandson Elijah Keys while they walk with Maranda Magee to visit their church a block away from their home in Collins, Mississippi.
Hope is the mayor of Collins, Mississippi and aunt to Saints linebacker Demario Davis, who spent his childhood years living here at his grandparent's home in Collins, Mississippi - shooting hoops in the side yard and learning the basics of football in the street with his cousins.
Elijah and Maranda are both Davis' cousins
Photographed Thursday, December 13, 2018.
Saints linebacker Demario Davis played his high school football games at Brandon Middle school field. He graduated before the new state-of-the-art field was completed at Brandon High School.
Photographed Thursday, December 13, 2018.
Saints linebacker Demario Davis lifted weights in this locker room at Brandon Middle School in Brandon, Mississippi before the new weight room at the new high school weight room was finished. The weight room at the high school has since been repurposed.
Demario played his high school football games at Brandon Middle school's field.
Photographed Thursday, December 13, 2018.
For a couple of his pre-teen years, future Saints linebacker Demario Davis lived in this home at 612 w. Sunset Drive in Brandon with his mother Sue.
Photographed Thursday, December 13, 2018.
Saints linebacker Demario Davis dressed for high school games in this locker room at Brandon Middle school. He played his games on the Brandon Middle school's field, before the new state-of-the-art field was completed at Brandon High School.
Photographed Thursday, December 13, 2018.
Saints linebacker Demario Davis played basketball in this gym at Brandon High School in Brandon, MS. where he was a three-sport athlete in football, basketball and track.
Photographed Thursday, December 13, 2018.
Brandon High School mascot (the Bulldogs)
Saints linebacker Demario Davis dressed for high school games in this locker room at Brandon Middle school. He played his games on the Brandon Middle school's field, before the new state-of-the-art field was completed at Brandon High School.
Photographed Thursday, December 13, 2018.
Saints linebacker Demario Davis dressed for high school games in this locker room at Brandon Middle school. He played his games on the Brandon Middle school's field, before the new state-of-the-art field was completed at Brandon High School.
Photographed Thursday, December 13, 2018.
Sue Davis shows off her couch throw printed with a photo of her son Demario Davis and his family at her home in Pearl, Mississippi, where Demario spent his teen years.
Photographed Thursday, December 13, 2018.
Sue Davis - Saints linebacker Demario Davis' mom - walks with Demario's cousin Brittany Houseworth, 22, right, in front of Sue's home in Pearl, Mississippi, where Demario spent his teen years.
Photographed Thursday, December 13, 2018.
Saints linebacker Demario Davis dressed for high school games in this locker room at Brandon Middle school. He played his games on the Brandon Middle school's field, before the new state-of-the-art field was completed at Brandon High School.
Photographed Thursday, December 13, 2018.
Sue Davis shows off her son's, Saints linebacker Demario Davis' kindergarten report card at her home in Pearl, Mississippi, where Demario spent his teen years. She said Demario had trouble with talking too much in class.
Photographed Thursday, December 13, 2018.
Brandon (Mississippi) High School basketball coach Fredrick Barnes looks over the four trophies Demario Davis helped the school win while he was at the school.
All the trophies were for basketball accomplishments. The football team didn't fare as well.
The trophies are displayed on the top shelf of the gym's concession booth. Barnes said he asked for a trophy case but never got one.
Photographed Thursday, December 13, 2018.
Jr. High Soccer coach, Skyler Parker, 29 played the opposite wide receiver along with Demario Davis at Brandon High School in Brandon, Mississippi.
Demario never played at the new state-of-the-art stadium and field as it wasn't built by his senior year. He played high school football at Brandon Middle school's field.
Photographed Thursday, December 13, 2018.
Throughout the playoffs NewOrleansSaints.com will be showcasing the hometowns of players to give fans a look at the communities and the people that influenced them. We begin our series of photos essays with a look at where linebacker Demario Davis grew up, Brandon, Pearl and Collins, Miss.
We'll continue with our series on Thursday with Taysom Hill and Pocatello, Idaho along with Cameron Tom and Baton Rouge on Friday.
Photographer Ted Jackson shot the photos of Davis' hometowns. Jackson is a photojournalist and writer based in New Orleans. In 1997, he was one of a four-person team from The Times-Picayune that won a Pulitzer Prize for public service for a series titled "Oceans of Trouble." Through the years, much of his work has centered around environmental and social issues. He has also focused on the physical destruction and emotional trauma of earthquakes and hurricanes, most notably, Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Just recently, he chronicled his 28-year personal relationship with former NFL player Jackie Wallace and his life of homelessness and substance abuse.
