Super Bowl week was an excuse for sixth-grade Lloyd Cushenberry to wear his own jersey during his offseason. It wasn’t a coincidence that his little league football team in Carville, Louisiana, wore black and gold.
Cushenberry had relatives in New Orleans. Others in Baton Rouge. The Saints were beloved in every town between them along Interstate 10, including Cushenberry’s. He celebrated in Carville after the Saints won it all in 2010. Sean Payton’s Saints.
“Mardi Gras was a pretty fun time after that,” Cushenberry said, laughing.
Thirteen years later, the coach who brought a championship to Louisiana while Cushenberry was learning to love football is now Cushenberry’s coach in the NFL.