May 19, 2008 6:14PM

A Role Model On and Off the Field

By Alexis Glick

One of the great heroes of the city of New Orleans, the quarterback for the New Orleans Saints, Drew Brees joined me this morning at Cafe Du Monde for Money for Breakfast.

First of all, he arrived with NO entourage. He was kind, warm, unassuming and incredibly generous with his time. I was deeply honored that he came to join us at 6:00 a.m. on a day when the team was set to meet at 7:30 a.m. this morning for their first pre-training meeting.

This guy is a TREMENDOUS role model for the NFL and has been a tremendous leader and mentor in the revitalization efforts of New Orleans. Drew and his wife Brittany arrived after the hurricane when Drew was traded from the San Diego Chargers but what they have done for the children and families who were affected by the hurricane is truly astounding!

The Drew Brees Foundation was created in 2003 by Drew and his wife Brittany. The mission of the foundation is to provide care, education and opportunities for children facing adversity. Drew’s foundation partnered with Operation Kids, an international children’s charity in a campaign called “Operation Kids: Rebuilding Dreams in New Orleans,” where they have committed to raising nearly $2 million dollars for children’s programs in New Orleans. Pretty incredible!

When we wrapped up our interview and I thanked him for joining me, one of my producers said he’d be a great co-anchor. We said it in jest although he is so calm, cool and articulate on television that I do see seriously think a future is in store for him in television. He heard us and jokingly said no, the next stop after football is the PGA tour! Yeah!!! So I said, what’s your handicap? Are you sitting down? Still sitting? It’s a FOUR!!!!! Watch out, Tiger. Might he have just as great a career in golf as he does in football when and if the time comes. If you had to bet on him, I’d bet the bank. This guy has star written all over him!!!!!!