New Orleans Saints players, members of the Saintsations and mascot Sir Saint helped kickoff Mardi Gras weekend by participating in the 44th Annual "Greasing of the Poles" event at the Royal Sonesta Hotel on Friday.
The "Greasing of the Poles" ceremony is the long-standing tradition of greasing the support poles as a means to deter people from shimmying up to coveted balcony space above.
Safety Malcolm Jenkins served as a judge for the event while punter Thomas Morstead, tackle Terron Armstead and long snapper Justin Drescher helped hold the ladders.
Prior to the event, the Pussyfooters and the Original Hurricane Brass Band performed for the crowd.
Jenkins and the other judges scored the four participants that greased the poles at the entrance of the Bourbon Street hotel.
Drescher, who is experiencing his first Mardi Gras, was happy to participate in the event.
"This is a really cool event. It's one of the many things that makes New Orleans a fun city to live in," said Drescher. "It's crazy because it's 10:30 in the morning and everybody is cheering and celebrating. It's great to be with the fans and spending time with them."
