NEW ORLEANS — Shortly after the New Orleans Saints selected him second in the last NFL draft, Reggie Bush toured some of the city's neighborhoods destroyed by the flooding that followed Hurricane Katrina.
House by pulverized house, he studied the bright orange numbers that relief workers had spray-painted on the front -- a grim count of the dead found inside.
"It's a humbling experience, and it's sad," the Heisman Trophy winner from USC said. "It makes you appreciate what you have, makes you appreciate life in general. It can be taken away from you at any time."
Katrina was the costliest natural disaster in U.S. history, flooding 80% of the city and displacing more than a million people. In the storm's wake, Bush's first few months as an NFL player largely have been defined by his charitable works and donations, acts that have ingratiated him with the people of the Gulf Coast and fans of the Saints, almost always among the more pitiful franchises in professional sports.
Even before he signed his contract, which included a reported $26 million in guarantees, Bush -- often with the help of his sponsors -- was signing checks for charitable causes. Through Adidas, his shoe and apparel sponsor, he donated $56,000 to Holy Rosary School, ensuring 105 special-needs students wouldn't be forced to attend schools that don't specialize in educating teens with learning issues such as dyslexia and attention-deficit disorder. As part of his endorsement deal with Hummer, the Slidell, La., police department was given 12 of the vehicles on loan for a year.
Pepsi has announced a "Neighborhood by Neighborhood. Yard by Yard," program to build 25 homes in the New Orleans area based on a donation system calibrated by the number of yards Bush gains this season. And Bush personally pledged $86,000 to resurface the field at Tad Gormley Stadium, which was damaged in the flooding and where six high schools play their football games.
"Some guys just play in a place and then head home when the season's over," said Indianapolis quarterback Peyton Manning, who grew up in New Orleans. "Reggie's a kid from California who's dived right in to help the community. I commend him for that."
Several other NFL players have made significant contributions to relief efforts, but some say Bush's philanthropy has set a new standard for what is expected here of professional athletes.
