VERSAILLES - The New Orleans Saints are in France for a football game, but their approach to Paris has been shaped just as much by safety concerns as sightseeing plans.
With protests over rising living costs and school conditions drawing global attention, several Saints players are thinking carefully about how much of the city they want to take in before Sunday’s game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Safety Justin Reid, who plans to go to Tuesday’s Paris Saint-Germain-Barcelona match at Parc des Princes on his day off, said the priority is staying out of trouble.
“It’ll just be, keep it low-key, keep it fun, do things as a group, do things as a team,” Reid said. “And above all else, stay out of the mix and don’t find any way to be a distraction to what our ultimate goal here is to come in and put on a performance and get a win.”
Reid said he expects many of his teammates to stay closer to Versailles, where the Saints are staying and practicing about 12 miles from Paris. New Orleans arrived Monday and will spend the next two lighter work days settling in before practicing Wednesday through Friday to get ready for Pittsburgh.
Coach Kellen Moore said the team is leaving the amount of exploring up to the players. The Saints have not put together a formal bonding plan for the trip, but Moore said the schedule gives players room to see the city if they choose.
“Our guys are smart, they understand this is still a business trip,” Moore said. “But at the same time, there will be a little bit of time for these guys to explore.
And that’s an important part of this thing - go explore. You’re in a different country, a different culture.
It’s a good opportunity.”
Still, the unrest has changed the way some players are thinking. The protests turned violent over the weekend, with rioting breaking out and officials responding after one protester and one police officer were killed.
At least 2,000 people have been arrested. On Sunday, French President Emmanuel Macron addressed the nation and said he’d seek to hold those who erupted in violence accountable.
The Louvre also closed Monday because of the demonstrations outside.
Tight end Juwan Johnson said the situation has led players to be cautious, even while acknowledging how meaningful the trip can be. The Saints’ visit marks the NFL’s first-ever game in Paris, and many players brought family with them.
“I think being in Paris is one of the most beautiful things you can be a part of,” Johnson said. “It has so much history.
It has so much things going on. But I think the biggest thing is just praying for them.
With everything that’s going on, I think they’re exercising what they want as far as change and stuff.
“Us as outsiders, we just want to be as safe as possible.”
Johnson said his own family remains “very undecided” about whether to come to Sunday’s game. His wife is pregnant with their third child, and the couple has two daughters.
“If they do, I’m sure it’ll be great,” Johnson said. “But if they don’t, I completely understand.”
The Saints and the NFL are continuing to monitor developments. On Sunday, after New Orleans beat the New York Giants, guard David Edwards said he was still looking forward to the trip and felt “confident” the team would keep players safe. The team also said in a statement Sunday that members of its operations and security staff had already been on the ground before the Saints arrived and were receiving daily security updates.
“There has been no disruption or impact at any of our team sites,” Saints vice president of communications Greg Bensel said.
Reid said he’s looking forward to his first PSG men’s match, though he has seen the club’s women’s team before because his former college roommate’s girlfriend played for the squad. Even so, he doesn’t expect the Saints to do much wandering through the city.
“We want to enjoy being in Paris and seeing things, but I don’t think many of us are very interested in getting into the mix that deeply,” Reid said.
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