Tag: Lymphoma

Saints select Foster Moreau for Ed Block Courage Award

The New Orleans Saints recognized tight end Foster Moreau with the 2023 Ed Block Courage Award after he overcame Hodgkin’s lymphoma:

This is cool: The New Orleans Saints recognized tight end Foster Moreau as their recipient for the 2023 Ed Block Courage Award after he overcame Hodgkin’s lymphoma. This award, the Saints said in a statement, 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.”

All 32 teams select a recipient for the award via vote, and Moreau was an easy fit. His perseverance in the face of adversity is inspiring. That he was able to overcome a battle with cancer and quickly return to the field is mighty impressive.

Moreau, 26, is a New Orleans native who starred at Jesuit High School before his four-year run with the LSU Tigers. He was teammates with Saints quarterback Derek Carr on the Raiders and teamed up with him again this season, catching 18 passes for 164 yards and a touchdown.

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Mickey Loomis reflects on emotional journey that brought Foster Moreau to the Saints

Saints general manager Mickey Loomis reflected on the emotional journey that brought Foster Moreau back to New Orleans:

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The New Orleans Saints energized a lot of fans by signing tight end Foster Moreau as a free agent, and it’s easy to see why: he might be the best comeback story in the NFL after receiving a life-changing diagnosis for Hodgkin’s lymphoma during a routine physical with the team back in March.

Two months later, though, Moreau has undergone treatment and received clearance to get back on the field and continue his career. General manager Mickey Loomis acknowledged the high-strung emotions of the situation while speaking with local media at the Saints Hall of Fame golf tournament on Monday, but he was careful to remind everyone that there’s real value to the team in signing Moreau.

“First of all, we brought him in because he’s a good player,” Loomis cautioned, noting that isn’t just a feel-good story about bringing a player back to his hometown. “Versatile, well-rounded tight end. The fact that he’s from New Orleans, and has a history at LSU and here (at Jesuit High School), really had nothing to do with our interest in him.”

Moreau developed into a favorite target of Derek Carr’s when they were together on the Las Vegas Raiders, consistently winning on contested-catch opportunities and fighting for yards after the catch. He can block well, too, and he should add some elements to the Saints offense that they’ve been missing.

Still, at the end of the day this is an important chapter in someone’s life, and Loomis admitted as much. He’s as happy as anyone to see things turn for the better for Moreau so that he could get where he is now.

Loomis continued, “That’s emotional. To come take a physical and discover something that’s is unexpected, I know that’s tough on him and his family. And yet they’ve handled it beautifully. The great news is that the prognosis is good, and even the treatment protocol that he’s going to be under is going to allow him to do some things this offseason and hopefully play in the fall.”

So could Moreau be on the field when the Saints regroup for organized team activities later this month? Maybe so, but his doctors could advise him to take it slow and make sure his body has fully recovered from rigorous cancer treatment before putting himself under physical stress so soon. The Saints aren’t going to rush him into the first phase of drills with his new teammates, but they aren’t going to put any limitations on him, either.

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Dennis Allen says Saints don’t anticipate ‘any limitations at all’ for Foster Moreau

Dennis Allen said the Saints don’t anticipate ‘any limitations at all’ for Foster Moreau after undergoing treatment for Hodgkin’s lymphoma:

New Orleans Saints head coach Dennis Allen shared his insight on a number of topics during an interview on the Rich Eisen Show this week, including his live reaction to news that his team was signing free agent tight end Foster Moreau — who had notably received a shocking cancer diagnosis during a physical with team doctors in March.

Foster has since undergone treatment and signed a three-year contract with the team, and Allen couldn’t be happier for him. When asked for his first comments on the Saints’ new addition, Allen was all smiles.

“He’s doing outstanding,” Allen replied. “Huge shoutout to our medical group, in particular Dr. John Amoss for being able to identify this and making sure we have the proper medical treatment for Foster. I think he’s doing outstanding. And the type of treatment he’s receiving, we don’t anticipate that there’s going to be any limitations at all in terms of his ability to participate and perform, and his ability to recover, and that’s the most important thing.”

Multiple local reports say the Saints could have Moreau on the practice field when veterans report for organized team activities next week, but team doctors may exercise an abundance of caution and limit his participation to make sure he isn’t putting too much stress on his body after undergoing rigorous cancer treatment for Hodgkin’s lymphoma. We’ll see how the plan for him ultimately plays out, but Allen certainly sounds as excited as most fans to have Moreau in New Orleans wearing black and gold.

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Foster Moreau expects to play for Saints in 2023 without limitations

Multiple local reports say Foster Moreau expects to play for the Saints in 2023, and that he is not facing practice limitations after undergoing cancer treatment:

Wow. The New Orleans Saints are bringing tight end Foster Moreau back to his hometown as a free agent, and it isn’t just a good-faith gesture in the wake of his cancer diagnosis. Multiple local reports say that Moreau received a positive prognosis and that he expects to play for the Saints in 2023.

First, ESPN’s Adam Schefter said that “Moreau has been cleared and expects to play this season.” ESPN’s Katherine Terrell added that while Moreau’s playing status is uncertain “the course of treatment was looked at in terms of weeks, not months.”

Nola.com’s Luke Johnson reported the indication he’s been given “is that Moreau will be ready to participate right away.”

And NewOrleans.Football’s Nick Underhill shared that Moreau is “still getting treatment but it won’t impact his participation. The Saints will bring him along slowly, but he is not expected to have any limitations.”

So there’s a very strong chance fans will see Moreau on the practice field over the summer, though it’s unclear what his activity level will be. Receiving medical clearance to play and having the right conditioning to help out during games are two different things. They could be approaching him similarly to rookie running back Kendre Miller, who is expected to take it easy this summer while recovering from a meniscus injury.

But this is a big (and very positive) upswing from where Moreau said he expected to be just a few weeks ago, having suggested he could return midseason. If he’s going to be back in the mix even sooner, well, that’s worth celebrating.

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Foster Moreau shares update on his cancer battle, treatment plan

Foster Moreau shared an update on his cancer battle and treatment plan during an interview with Good Morning America:

It’s been a dramatic offseason for Foster Moreau. The former Las Vegas Raiders and LSU Tigers tight end was expecting the first big payday of his NFL career as a free agent, and it nearly came with his hometown New Orleans Saints team.

Instead, he’s beginning a treatment plan for Hodgkin’s lymphoma after the cancer was discovered in a routine physical in New Orleans. Moreau shared the story of his initial diagnosis from Dr. John Amoss, a Saints team physician, which ended up being life-changing.

“I felt strong. I felt like I was running well,” Moreau recounted during an interview with Good Morning America. He had already undergone a physical with the Cincinnati Bengals before visiting the Saints, which hadn’t detected anything. “I mean, my offseason training was going just fine, and then he tells me something’s there that I could’ve never imagined and it rocks my world.”

He’s remaining optimistic. Other players have dealt with Hodgkin’s lymphoma to return to football before, and Moreau is hopeful he can do the same: “It’s at stage 2, so it’s spread from the initial location. But it appears to be a slow spread and we should be able to get rid of all of it.”

But he’s keeping a clear head. Moreau says he’s thankful for the support the Saints have given him throughout this process, and that he’s grateful he can stay close to his parents in New Orleans while undergoing treatment. He’s treating this battle just like every other conflict he’s approached on the field.

Moreau continued, “There’s no other way to look at it, right? So I’m preparing for my opponent, right? Hodgkin’s lymphoma, chemotherapy, I’m preparing for being on an IV, for six, seven, eight hours. Whatever it takes, right? Because I mean, there’s no other option. There’s no option.”

So will he return to play football? Moreau hopes so, but he’s being realistic about his expectations. He recently returned to New Orleans to complete his physical, and it’s possible the team could sign him after the 2023 NFL draft so he doesn’t count into the 2024 compensatory picks formula. They could then place Moreau on the non-football injury list until he’s cleared to return in, say, October. But that’s a long ways away. For now, Moreau is going to do everything he can to win this fight.

“You only have a finite amount of time on this Earth,” Moreau added. “For me, I’m gonna make it count. And right now, making it count is whuppin’ up on cancer’s butt.”

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Foster Moreau returns to finish his New Orleans Saints physical

It’s possible Foster Moreau still signs with his hometown Saints, though he has higher priorities than football after his cancer diagnosis:

This was a bit of a surprise: free agent tight end Foster Moreau returned to the New Orleans Saints team facility on Tuesday to finish the physical he started last week, which was interrupted by his shocking cancer diagnosis. Moreau remains in high spirits about the situation, and has said he intends to continue playing once this is behind him. He’s optimistic he could play for a team this season if his treatment goes well.

Saints News Network’s John Hendrix reports that, “The outlook for Moreau is that it’s a matter of when he’ll play again, not if,” which was echoed by ESPN’s Katherine Terrell. It’s very possible that a team like the Saints could sign Moreau and put him on the non-football injury list until he’s cleared to play, where he wouldn’t count against the roster limit.

NFL rules stipulate that players on the NFI list may be activated as soon as Week 5 (Oct. 9 last year), which would line up with the general timetable Moreau has said he’s working with in treatment. He would need time to get into playing shape even after being activated, but if the Saints are willing to work with him that patience might be rewarded. We’ll have to see how this unique situation develops further.

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Foster Moreau optimistic after lymphoma diagnosis, grateful for Saints’ support

Foster Moreau says he’s optimistic after his Hodgkin’s Lymphoma diagnosis, and that he’s grateful for the Saints’ support during a difficult process:

Foster Moreau nearly played for his hometown New Orleans Saints, but a life-changing diagnosis for Hodgkin’s Lymphoma has him changing priorities. The former Las Vegas Raiders and LSU Tigers tight end spoke about his experience on The Adam Schefter Podcast, detailing the process that led to his diagnosis, the challenges ahead of him, and the reasons for optimism that are fueling him.

Moreau compared the physical he went through with the Cincinnati Bengals, which was focused more on football concerns like his knees and other joints, and past injuries, with what he described as more of a “family doctor” exam with the Saints medical staff. While the Bengals medical team cleared him, the Saints doctor picked up on it right away: “The first thing he touches, I swear to you, is my lymph node in my left collarbone. And it’s shocking to him how swollen this thing is. We need to check this out, he says, this thing’s the size of a golf ball.”

At that point they sent word to Saints general manager Mickey Loomis and began discussing what’s next: radiology scans, an onsite biopsy, and further exams and a treatment plan. One thing Moreau was grateful for was proximity to home, being a quick drive away from his parents in New Orleans, rather than having received such bad news in faraway Cincinnati or Las Vegas.

“Cancer’s a scary word,” Moreau reflected, repeating, “Cancer’s an extremely scary word. I’ve had no history of any cancers on my mom’s or my dad’s  side of my family. So I was terrified. Did a lot of research on it, just the unknowns of what you’re about to go through.”

He says he reached out to a high school teammate who had survived a battle with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, and the call left him feeling encouraged. He has a better understanding of what he’s in for, how treatable the cancer is, and what he’s in for. He now sees a future where he comes out of this experience without any long-lasting effects.

Moreau continued, “They believe that it was caught at an early stage because I didn’t have any of the ‘B symptoms’ like the exhaustion, the night sweats, the loss of weight. None of that had appeared. They just found the cancerous lymph node, so that was what triggered the initial scan, and that’s what came up positive.”

He also pointed to the examples of several former NFL players who beat cancer and returned to continue their careers, like former Kansas City Chiefs safety Eric Berry and Pro Bowl running back James Conner. Berry was diagnosed with lymphoma in his chest cavity during the 2014 season, which was more difficult to treat than what Moreau expects.

Berry underwent chemotherapy in December and returned to the team seven months later, for the start of their 2015 training camp. He played four more years in the NFL and won All-Pro and Pro Bowl recognition. Like Berry, Conner’s cancer was detected behind his rib cage, and he was sidelined for eight months in college in 2015 but was medically cleared in 2016, got drafted in 2017, and recently signed a three-year extension with the Arizona Cardinals. Both

“Being able to play this year, I wouldn’t say it’s out of the question, but it’s also definitely not my main priority,” Moreau said, “Taking a step back and making sure that I can become cancer-free, go into remission, gain my health, strength, weight, speed, just kind of get into the groove of being a player again. Because obviously at the time I would be coming in everyone would be in midseason form, so that would be a very tall task for me to do. But I’m not ruling it out entirely but I need to get healthy first.”

As for his plans for the immediate future: Moreau intends to stay in New Orleans and receive treatment from a local specialist while staying close to his family, and he’ll worry about football once he’s given the green-light to do so. He added, “I’m a free agent, I don’t necessarily have a home. The Raiders have been supportive, and the Saints have been incredibly supportive, and I’m grateful for what they’ve shown me.”

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