The New Orleans Saints got a good one in linebacker Demario Davis, the longtime New York Jets and Cleveland Browns starter who signed with them before the 2018 season. Davis immediately earned his teammates’ trust and respect with his high level of performance on the field and his efforts to help people off of it.
The NFL Players Association announced Friday that they selected Davis as their Week 8 Community MVP. This followed his visit with students at St. Louis King of France School in New Orleans, as well as his efforts to fund-raise for St. Dominic Memorial Hospital in Jackson, Miss.
It all stems from a Week 3 fine Davis received for wearing a headband that read “Man of God,” which initially was ruled a uniform violation (players are banned from displaying personal messages during games). However, Davis won his appeal for the fine and pledged his support to a campaign raising money to build a new emergency room for the hospital. Davis has been selling headbands like the one he wore, donating the profits to the hospital — in total, his collected donations have already climbed to $200,000.
The students of St. Louis King of France supported Davis after his fine, creating their own “Child of God” headbands as a school art project. So he made sure to thank them personally during the Saints’ bye week with a pizza party and meet-and-greet during a school assembly.
With people like Davis leading them, the Saints should continue to roll once they gather for the second leg of their season. His leadership on and off the field can’t be understated.
