What Drew Brees Said After Being Announced As The Newest New Orleans Saints Hall Of Fame Inductee

The legendary New Orleans Saints quarterback shared great memories and quotes with the local media.

Drew Brees / USA Today Sports

Drew Brees. His name is a statement in itself. In New Orleans. With the Who Dat Nation. In the National Football League, Drew Brees, his time in New Orleans, and his record-setting career are synonymous with excellence.  

When the New Orleans Saints Hall of Fame organization announced Brees' candidacy, just mentioning Drew Brees' name allowed the committee members to forgo the spirited discussions, as chairman Ken Trahan mentioned to the media. "This year was about the easiest thing we ever done," Trahan said.  

As the committee desired, Brees will be the lone Saints Hall of Fame inductee, recognized as the greatest New Orleans Saints player in the franchise's 57-year history. Beyond his on-field achievements, Drew, his family, and his foundation have been instrumental in revitalizing the team and making a profound impact on the community.

After his retirement announcement via social media in 2020, Brees didn't have a formal press conference with local media. Instead, he took the time to give them almost 30 minutes for an insightful Q&A session, a testament to his humility and gratitude. Here are several of his most poignant quotes from the press conference:

Drew Brees / New Orleans Saints

WHAT DREW BREES SAID ABOUT HIS CAREER WITH THE NEW ORLEANS SAINTS

Overcoming Adversity After His Shoulder Injury: "To say things looked bleak and were pretty scary. I mean, I take myself there at times, and I really thought I might not ever play football again."

Miraculous Surgery Revelation By Dr. Andrews: "Dr. Andrews comes in and basically says, "If I did that surgery a 100 times, I couldn't do it as well as I just did it.'"

About The People Of NOLA, Before Joining: "But to a person, everyone who came up to us at that time said nothing about the New Orleans Saints. They said everything about, 'Thank you for wanting to be a part of this city. Thank you for considering us. We would love to have you.' So you just felt the culture. You felt the love."

The True Calling of Belonging: "But that was that was when we felt the the the true calling that we belonged here. And not many opportunities in life do you get the chance to be a part of something so much greater than yourself."

Dec 28, 2014; Tampa, FL, USA; New Orleans Saints wide receiver Marques Colston (12) is congratulated by quarterback Drew Brees (9) and teammates after he scored a touchdown against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during the second half at Raymond James Stadium. New Orleans Saints defeated the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 23-20. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports / Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Incredible Team Chemistry: "When I think back to the receivers that I had early in my career here. Marcus Colston, Robert Meacham, Devery Henderson, Lance Moore, like those four guys for seven straight years.    Like when has that ever happened anywhere else? Those those four core guys.  Like, the way that they complemented one another, and the way they set the tone with the way they practiced, and just like everything about them.  They just they inspired us all and certainly made my job a lot easier."

Overcoming Adversity in Sports: "So all of these examples of me not getting what I wanted, and yet it was it was molding me, it was strengthening me, it was it was turning me into who I was supposed to be, and it was extracting the best out of me. And it's what I try to tell these boys all the time...it's not supposed to be easy."

Drew Brees Breaks All-Time Passing Yards Record as The New Orleans Saints take on The Washington Redskins during Monday Night Football at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Monday, Oct. 8, 2018. / SCOTT CLAUSE/USA TODAY Network via Imagn

Rebuilding Community and Trust: "We felt like from what we heard just talking to members of the community, and everyone was that there had just been so many, unkept promises to the community by whoever.    And I think right away we wanted to show that we were members of this community, and we were going to follow through with everything we said we would do."

NFL Prime Time Magic: "How the NFL was able to schedule prime time games for every record-breaking moment is pretty impressive...all those moments ar pretty amazing."

Unfinished Business: "I felt like there was a little bit of a lack of closure. And honestly, man, if my right arm was still working, I probably would have played another three years."