Saints TE Foster Moreau scores 1st TD of 2023 just 7 months after cancer diagnosis
Foster Moreau had a very special day on the football field on Sunday.
The New Orleans Saints' tight end scored his very first touchdown of the 2023 season, forcing his way into the end zone against the New England Patriots with 13 minutes left in the fourth quarter.
Bringing in his first touchdown of the season would be enough reason for Moreau to celebrate, but there was more to it. Moreau was diagnosed in March with Hodgkin's lymphoma, a kind of cancer that affects the lymphatic system. This was his first score since announcing the news seven months ago.
New Orleans native Foster Moreau with his first TD as a Saint!!#Saints | 📺: CBS pic.twitter.com/j25VYOKskz
— New Orleans Saints (@Saints) October 8, 2023
When Moreau fell to the ground while scoring the TD at Gillette Stadium, the end zone wasn't painted in normal Patriots style. It was painted to promote Crucial Catch, the NFL's cancer screening campaign. Moreau was able to avoid going through radiation or chemotherapy because his cancer was caught early.
His 1st TD since overcoming Hodgkin's lymphoma. What a storybook moment for @fhmoreau during #CrucialCatch 💜 pic.twitter.com/GVhdr7wTWe
— NFL (@NFL) October 9, 2023
"That's a gutsy call," Moreau said while discussing the play after the game. "I loved it. I loved every second of it. I haven't gotten to see it yet. I kind of blacked out and forgot what happened. Crucial Catch month, and I spiked the ball into oblivion."
That emphatic ball spike was pure adrenaline and emotion, but it caused Moreau to lose the ball, which he was hoping to keep. Fortunately, the Saints are on the case.
The #Saints are doing some detective work to try and find the ball Moreau scored his TD with. Comparing photos and markings on the balls used in the game. DA said they think they’ve located it.
— Erin Summers (@ErinESummers) October 9, 2023
Moreau, a 26-year-old New Orleans native, is in his first season with the Saints. He spent four seasons with the Las Vegas Raiders, who picked him in the fourth round of the 2019 draft. Following his diagnosis, which was revealed during a physical with the Saints in March, he underwent a month of treatment, then signed a three-year, $12 million contract with the Saints in May. He has been in remission since July.
While Moreau didn't score his first Saints TD in front of his home crowd, it was part of a 34-0 win over the Patriots that marked the worst home loss of head coach Bill Belichick's career. The Saints return to the Superdome in Week 7 to face the Jacksonville Jaguars.
