New Orleans Saints defensive end Cameron Jordan*
Video press conference with media
Monday, Aug. 30, 2021
Hey, Cam, I'm just wondering, honestly, how you're doing? Is your family with you? And is everyone safe? And okay.
"Yeah, the greatest thing that I that I can hold is that my family is safe, they came with us to Dallas with the team. As long as they're OK for me, then whatever has happened to our house, whatever has happened to our property in New Orleans, that's just materialistic, and we are just blessed to have our health. And we'll go from there. I know for sure, from the pictures I've seen this morning, our house is going to need some immediate attention. But beyond that, again, less materialistic is I can say we're all in good health and we were saved for this storm.
Is it tough to focus on football right now?
"Look, we're here to focus on what we can control. We can't control the damage that happened this week. Or yesterday, we can't control the friends that are still in New Orleans that waited the storm out. We can call we can try and keep up and keep up with them. But when it comes down to football, when it comes to practice, we have to focus on again, what we can't control we can we can focus on the energy we put out for this practice, we can focus on the energy that we're going to be focused on towards gearing up for Green Bay. I don't even know where we're are we playing a home game group that i don't i don't know beyond anything beyond today. We're going to work hard, we're going to stay together. And we're going to get a focus on what we can control."
This isn't the first time the Saints have had to evacuate. I mean, you evacuated with the team back in 2012. What do you remember about that situation?
"That we went to Cincinnati? If I recall correctly, we were there for a couple of days and came back it was our area had not been truly affected. So we went back to normal. Now we wake up this morning, and it's a lot more damage than then that was in 2012 for sure. I've got it now I've got friends, I've got connections of that family based in New Orleans. So we're catching the aftermath, I guess, as it has moved on be unknown and in the greater good area of New Orleans. But from 2012 to now it's completely different. I mean, again, I worry about how we practice today, I'll worry about the energy and then myself as a person taken away from myself as a player (balancing separating football from personal). We'll worry about the family after."
How tough was it preparing an evacuation with as a husband with young children and all the other responsibilities you have as a football player with the season coming up?
"Oh, that's a great question. We said we'd have a plan about it (immediately after the game. Saturday, and then game got canceled and we made plans immediately and I think the Saints organization as a whole did a phenomenal job of executing said plan, by way of setting us up at a hotel. So we got to be together by setting up a team playing, as well as a family planning to get people out. You know, again, blessed to be (safe), blessed to not only have health and mental health, physical health and just focus again on what we can't control. I mean, for so many other people, I've had friends that that tried to drive to Memphis to Houston to the surrounding areas and understand the gridlock that they faced, understand that we're going to come back and some houses are going to be more damaged and others might know for sure I've seen some of these pictures not even online or through the TV, but from friends direct friends and family that stayed in New Orleans or friends that feel like family (that) stayed in New Orleans (through the storm). You know there's going to be some help needed when we get back. So again, I am just want to focus on what we can control and try and help out in any way possible."
Talk about how you managed all the feelings regarding what you went through with the issues with indecision of the game being postponed and then cancelled and all of a sudden having to evacuate as an organization and families?
"The safety of my family is the first is first thing that comes through. Again, all this other stuff is materialistic, if I lose a car, so what? You lose a house, so what? But lives are irreplaceable. So this is the same message from my family, to my friends to practically off and on and to stay safe as is and as best as you can. Again, anything else is materialistic. As long as you have your health, you can figure out what's what is the next step. And we focus on from there. So all the moving pieces, all that stuff, it's easy to simplify what needs to be happening. Family good, back to football, football good, back to family, trying to figure out how to help our city."
Do you think this team is more equipped to handle this challenge than some other teams?
"What team is ready to face this? But I do say with our leadership, what also what person is right faced, but I do say without leadership and our lock on. You know, our better and leadership are guys who have been through a lot. I mean, Malcolm Jenkins, was here back in 2012. You got guys like Demario Davis, who does phenomenal, phenomenal work across this country. For all the injustice work that he does. I mean, there's veterans and leaders in every situation every group on our team, and I think we are geared for success regardless.
Are you looking forward to practicing today to get your mind off things?
"I mean, practice for sure. I mean, this is a this is a very weird time to talk about, of course, the hurricane happening us evacuating. But I said we're time saying that we do have to cut down and 53 sometime relatively soon. I'm again, I'm all for this practice just to release some energy to get out with the guys and try and focus on what we can what we can control and that's going to be the main emphasis is focused on what we can control as football players, then we'll focus on what we can't control as people and go on from there."
How do you feel about the sensitivity of a team having to make a major roster reduction tomorrow under such personally harrowing circumstances for all? How does the team and yourself as a teammate show empathy?
This is a something that hasn't happened as long as I've been part of the saints team, to normally is like off days where you cut down to the 53 things have been done. Now, it seems like we're still going to be (in) the same hotel. I mean, this is something that I've been playing with some of these guys for you know, since otas. Or I guess since what would have been otas been playing with these guys for sure all training camp and to create bonds with them and watch them leave always hurts. Now it seems like you know, though, they'll have to be in the hotel until things are figured out. That said we'll navigate this as a team we navigate this as the saints as best as we can. Again, we're a brotherhood, so we're going to navigate everything together."
What is your message to New Orleans and to Southeast Louisiana?
"And I've got nothing but the highest hopes and prayers that you know, again, lives irreplaceable, so hopefully nobody's loss of life. I haven't seen that yet. The damage that happened from Ida as a community we can always come together grow and rebuild if necessary. I do know adverse situations are tough to get through but as a community we can always bond together and get stronger. We are New Orleans. I guess we're known as the saints but we are New Orleans. We are a team that has been a part of the city and the city has been a part of the team. And as long as no one else has embraced me for the last decade plus now I've got nothing but love and I feel like I've got their back like they got my back. So I'll definitely be doing my best to do whatever I can do for our community soon.
