**CANTON, Ohio —** [Drew Brees](https://www.nola.com/sports/saints/what-we-learned-from-drew-brees-and-appreciated-about-him-new-orleans-carville-moreno-gleason-jordan-emeril/article_439f5947-931a-4529-87d2-b82ccbde6d5e.html) brought New Orleans Saints fans to their feet countless times during his legendary playing career.
He did it again Saturday. This time, though, [Brees inspired them](https://www.nola.com/sports/saints/complete-transcript-of-drew-brees-hall-of-fame-speech-new-orleans-saints-pro-football/article_9b11d3d7-12fc-4ff1-868f-1ea30bf9efd1.html#tncms-source=featured-3) with his words rather than his work on the football field.
“New Orleans …,” Brees said to a Saints-heavy crowd at his Pro Football Hall of Fame ceremony at Tom Benson Stadium. “You accepted me. You embraced me. You believed in me. But more importantly, you entrusted me with the soul of the city. And I would have died to protect that calling!”
Brees punctuated his words by raising his voice and right arm, stirring throngs of Saints out of their seats and spurring them to thrust their arms above their heads and chant “DREEEEEEWWWWWW!” in unison.
It was the highlight moment in a day of memorable scenes and emotional passages for Brees and his legion of fans, who came by the thousands from far and wide to honor the most decorated and beloved player in Saints franchise history.
Brees gave them ample opportunity to cheer and celebrate during his emotional 29-minute address that at times felt more like a pep rally or campaign town hall than an enshrinement ceremony. Brees’ speech went well over the suggested 12-minute limit, but few in the crowd seemed to mind on this muggy, overcast afternoon.
“It is impossible to properly articulate or encapsulate all the feelings, emotions, and appreciation that comes along with a 20-year NFL career in the time we have,” said Brees, who complemented his gold Hall of Fame jacket with a black-and-gold tie and light blue dress shirt. “But I will do my best to entertain and enlighten you with the stories, the places and people who shaped my mindset, directed my trajectory and defined my career. We may laugh, we may cry, but most of all, I hope we leave with a greater love, respect and reverence for the virtues of this game.”
Brees’ speech was the main event during the two-and-a-half-hour ceremony that also included acceptance addresses from fellow Class of 2026 enshrinees: Roger Craig, Larry Fitzgerald, Luke Kuechly and Adam Vinatieri. But Hall officials scheduled Brees last for a reason, and he delivered with an intensely personal and heartfelt speech that was framed as a love letter to New Orleans and the Who Dat Nation.
Famous during his playing days for his almost superhuman ability to remain calm in the moment, Brees was unable to keep his emotions in check as he reflected on his life while acknowledging and thanking dozens of people who influenced him during his historic playing career. On multiple occasions, he choked back tears or paused to bite his lips and contort them to the side while trying to gather himself.
Brees choked back tears when he mentioned his family, especially his mother, Mina Ruth Akins, who died in 2009 just weeks before the Saints began their historic run to the Super Bowl XLIV championship. He called her “the most competitive person I’ve ever known” and said, “so much of her lives inside of me.”
“I know how proud she would be, even more so of her grandchildren,” he said.
Some of Brees’ most emotional moments came when he recognized Sean Payton, his head coach for 15 seasons in New Orleans and his designated presenter for the ceremony.
“Coach, you were brilliant,” Brees said. “I saw myself as an extension of you on that field. I always had something to prove to you, and I always wanted to make you right. And I know you trusted me, and that allowed us both to be great.
“You always had a plan and vision for every player you coached. I’m not sure if this is how you envisioned my journey or how big a role you would play in it, but I love you for it.”
Brees was also overcome by emotion when recognizing his former teammates, dozens of whom were in the crowd after making the trip to Canton to show their support. Among them: Taysom Hill, Michael Thomas, Jimmy Graham, Steve Gleason, Zach Strief, Scott Fujita, Luke McCown, Willie Snead, Wil Lutz and Marques Colston, along with current Saints Cam Jordan, Alvin Kamara and Zach Wood, who were excused from training camp practice Saturday so they could attend the event.
“Words cannot express my love and appreciation for you,” Brees said, looking down at the gathering of teammates in the crowd to his right. “I often ask myself, how in the world did I play 20 years in the NFL? Yes, it was for the love of the game. Yes, it was a relentless attempt to master my craft. Yes, it was the grind and challenge of preparation and the thrill of gameday. But you want to know what it really was? For the love of my teammates. I would wake up every day with a burning desire to commit, sacrifice and command in a way that would give them everything they deserved.”
Among the more than 100 current Hall of Famers in attendance were all three of the living Hall of Famers in Saints franchise history: Morten Andersen, Rickey Jackson and Willie Roaf. (Former Saints linebacker Sam Mills was enshrined posthumously in 2022.)
“Playing all those years and playing as well as he did, Drew was a no-doubt first-ballot Hall of Famer,” Jackson said before the ceremony. “He’s the greatest Saint ever. He took my spot.”
Kuechly, Brees’ fellow Class of 2026 inductee and longtime nemesis on the Carolina Panthers, called Brees “the best player I ever played against” during his speech early in the ceremony and drew a laugh from the partisan Saints crowd by adding, “If I ever hear that song again, 'Stand Up and Get Crunk,' it ruins my mood; I can’t stand it!”
The line drew a chuckle from both Brees and Payton, who was seated on stage on the front row of chairs to Brees’ left.
During Brees’ speech, Payton was seen nodding and wiping his eyes. Earlier, during Payton’s prerecorded video presentation speech, he called Brees “an elite leader” and “the smartest player I’ve ever coached.”
“We were better coaches when he was our starting quarterback, and we were a better team when he was our leader,” Payton said. ‘It has been an honor to have a front-row seat watching you play quarterback for the Saints at such a high level. You made my job easy.”
Payton spoke for many in the crowd when he thanked Brees for his efforts on and off the field, saying, “All of us are better for having been a part of this with you.”