Recognition for best-dressed at this year’s Zurich Classic charity golf match went to New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton: he took the field in a very crispy pair of Air Jordan 11 Concord sneakers, apparently gifted from wide receiver Michael Thomas. Those can be sort of hard to come by.
Payton explained that he shares a shoe size with Thomas, so the 2018 first-team All-Pro receiver has left three or four pairs of Jordan sneakers in Payton’s office since signing an exclusive endorsement deal with the brand back in 2018.
“Every once in a while there will be a pair of shoes in my office, so these are compliments of Mike Thomas,” Payton explained after he and former Baltimore Ravens safety Ed Reed won the celebrity shootout in the Zurich Classic. “He’s got a pretty good shoe deal, different than any coaches have.”
Thomas’ gracious loans explains other eyebrow-raising looks Payton has sported recently. He rocked the aptly-named Air Jordan 23 Trophy Room series during each of the Saints’ playoff games, and occasionally broke out other sneakers throughout the season. If nothing else, it’s a sign of a positive relationship between player and coach.
