Saints honor Katrina victims, NOLA on field and with special video

With the NFL regular season less than two weeks from kickoff, the hearts and minds in New Orleans have very much been focused on the past in recent weeks, marking the 10th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina.

Perhaps no entity is more closely associated with Katrina -- both good and bad -- than the Saints. The team’s home field, the Superdome, was where thousands took refuge and six reportedly died.

One of the events that marked the beginning of the recovery in New Orleans was the Saints’ first game back in that building, a 23-3 victory over Atlanta on Sept. 25, 2006 -- more than a year after Katrina. Three seasons later, the Saints won the Super Bowl, celebrating with a parade down streets once flooded in the aftermath of Katrina, when the levies protecting the city from Lake Pontchartrain gave way.

In the years since Katrina, numerous players and members of the Saints organization have spent hours upon hours in the city, helping to rebuild homes, visit schools and if nothing else, lift spirits.

On Sunday, with the Houston Texans in town for Week 3 of the preseason, the Saints took the field in the Superdome wearing tributes to the victims of Katrina, such as the special NOLA shirt worn by head coach Sean Payton in the photo above.

And a day before, the team released a video tribute thanking the people of New Orleans. You can see the video below and also at this link.

H/t: The Sports Daily