Thomas Morstead Gives Punting Lesson to Seventh Grader – Ten Years Later, They Are Teammates
When a few tips to a middle schooler results in a pathway to the NFL, you've got to believe that kind of heavenly magic can only be created by a lifelong New Orleans Saint. Who could have predicted that Thomas Morstead would end up being teammates with the seventh grader he gave punting lessons to a decade ago?
When it was announced that the New Orleans Saints would be terminating the contract of 12-year specialist Thomas Morstead, there was certainly an aura of change circulating throughout the #WhoDatNation. The familiar face would no longer be a member of the 4th-down-unit in NOLA, but Morstead was not quite done in the NFL.
After an emotional departure, he went all the way up to East Rutherford, New York and became a member of the special teams unit for the Jets. But no matter where Morstead would end up, no doubt he would continue to fuel a fire for future football players everywhere.
You see, the unique part about being a football player in the NFL is that they're inspiring a crop of athletes that may be on the pee-wee, high school, or college level. Some NFL veterans are lucky enough to eventually share the field with those same kids they have inspired over the years.
But in this rare case, the current New York Jets punter is actually able to work side-by-side as teammates with another leg-for-hire that he just so happened to give the kicking blueprint to over a decade ago.
See the post from @nyjets on Twitter below.
That first punting lesson must have flipped a switch in Mann Braden's head. That light bulb flicked on telling him, "you can do this". I'm assuming a lot of that was in part to whatever Thomas Morstead told him that day back in the seventh grade.
Now, Morstead picks up where he left off with Braden by teaching him all of the lessons necessary to have a long and fruitful career in the NFL.
While Morstead may be on the decrescendo that is the symphony of his over decade-long career booming balls on the biggest stage, he certainly seems to be leaving behind a legacy for specialists everywhere.
The evidence is clear with Braden, who accomplished his dream by being drafted in 2020 to the New York Jets. A dream that may have all began in the seventh grade, when Braden got his first punting lesson from the New Orleans Saints specialist - Thomas Morstead.