Saints punter 'blown away' by Vikings fans' donations, which have topped $140,000
Everybody knew the game was over. The clock read 0:00, Vikings fans were screaming and crying, and the man of the night Stefon Diggs had thrown his helmet oft soak in the raucous joy.
But the extra point couldn’t be waved away.It’s mandated.
So the cameras and coaches had to hustle back to the sidelines, and players from Minnesota and New Orleans had to get back on the field for what would be a quick kneel-down.
The first person back out there for a devastated Saints team?
Punter Thomas Morstead, who suffered a painful cartilage tear in his ribs on his first kick of the game.
That class act was noticed by Vikings, who since the victory have donated thousands of dollars to Morstead’s charity, What You Give Will Grow.
Donations top $140,000
In a YouTube video posted Tuesday, Morstead explained he saw a spike in donations – and on Monday realized “they are all coming from Minnesota, which is pretty crazy.”
The effort started with a Reddit post after the game, in which RiffRaff14 pointed out how an injured Morstead came back on the field for the extra point, and encouraged people to kick in some money for a good cause.
Vikings fans have taken that suggestion wholeheartedly, and the charity – which supports organizations that help children battling cancer – set up a specific donation page for them to give through. All of the money raised this week through Vikings fans will be given to the Children’s Minnesota Child Life Department.
Wednesday morning, the total raised was around $40,000.
Less than 24 hours later another $100,000 was raised, bringing the new total to more than $140,000.
Morstead tweeted he’ll fly up to Minneapolis Super Bowl weekend to personally present the check if it reaches $100,000. And in an update later Wednesday he said he'd "book his flight" to head up to the Twin Cities.
"Alright Minnesota, you guys are officially ridiculous," he said, adding he's "totally blown away" by everything.
"You guys should all be proud of yourselves, that's a group effort and it's going to affect everybody in your community in a positive way," he said.
And he added this: "I may be forced to root for you guys all the way through the Super Bowl now."
To donate to Morstead's charity as a Vikings fan, click here.
