Foster Moreau had a very special day on the football field.
The New Orleans Saints’ tight end scored his very first touchdown of the 2023 season Sunday, forcing his way into the end zone against the New England Patriots with 13 minutes left in the fourth quarter.
Bringing in his first touchdown of the season would be enough reason for Moreau to celebrate, but there was more to it. Moreau was diagnosed in March with Hodgkin’s lymphoma, a kind of cancer that affects the lymphatic system. This was his first score since announcing the news seven months ago.
When Moreau fell to the ground while scoring that TD at Gillette Stadium, the end zone wasn’t painted in normal Patriots style. It was painted to promote Crucial Catch, the NFL’s cancer screening campaign. Moreau was able to avoid going through radiation or chemotherapy because his cancer was caught early.
“That’s a gutsy call,” Moreau said while discussing the play after the game. “I loved it. I loved every second of it. I haven’t gotten to see it yet. I kind of blacked out and forgot what happened. Crucial Catch month and I spiked the ball into oblivion.”
Moreau, a 26-year-old New Orleans native, is in his first season with the Saints. Previously he spent four seasons with the Las Vegas Raiders, who picked him in the fourth round of the 2019 draft. Following his diagnosis, which was revealed during a physical with the Saints in March, he underwent a month of treatment, then signed a three-year, $12 million contract with the Saints in May. He’s been in remission since July.
While Moreau didn’t score his first Saints TD in front of his home crowd, it was part of a 34-0 win over the Patriots that marked the worst home loss of head coach Bill Belichick’s career. The Saints return to the Superdome in Week 7 to face the Jacksonville Jaguars.
