Source: New Orleans Saints & Ochsner Hospital for Children
To say that Jarrius Robertson is a regular New Orleans Saints fan is an understatement.
Robertson attends as many games and practices as he can. The 14-year-old even gives the players a little criticism when they are falling off their game. Robertson first became obsessed with the Saints after an extended stay in the hospital.
At the age of one, Robertson needed a liver transplant. The transplant left the boy in a coma for about a year and resulted in a lifetime of stays in and out of the hospital.
“Being in the hospital for seven to 14 days is kind of rough for a kid,” Robertson’s father Jordy told
ABC News. Since being diagnosed, Robertson has had 13 surgeries.
The Saints helped the young boy stay positive and came to visit him during his stay at Ochsner Children’s Hospital in New Orleans. Robertson immediately bonded with the players thanks to his energetic personality. He even gave them some friendly advice when playing to “help make them better.”
Source: New Orleans Saints & Ochsner Hospital for Children
“The first time I met him he came in and really hit me with that real,” defensive end Cam Jordan told
Good Morning America. “He hit me with that, ‘Hey, you need to get in there and you need to sack the quarterback. This is what you got to do. You can’t fall off, Cam. What are you doing?’ That’s just eye opening.”
Robertson made such an impact on the players that they later invited him to attend some practices. Robertson, who attends a practice once or twice a week, has been dubbed the team’s hype man.
Source: New Orleans Saints & Ochsner Hospital for Children
Recently the 14-year-old appeared on an episode of
Good Morning America to share his journey with the Saints, however the players had a different idea and a huge surprise for Robertson.
Source: New Orleans Saints & Ochsner Hospital for Children
The Saints made Robertson an “honorary member” of the team and gave him in invitation to fly on the team plane to go to the Kansas City Chiefs game and to be their media reporter for the day.
“As a coach, you love it when you see someone with his energy. He is on everyone’s butt, trust me,” coach Sean Payton shared “So we’re going to sign Jarrius today to a contract to become a New Orleans Saint. Today, right there in New York.”
What a thrill for the young fan! Check out the surprise below.
