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“Rebirth” statue is Falcon-free

Published July 27, 2012 08:08 PM
Saints Gleason Statue Football

This photo released July 27, 2012 by the New Orleans Saints shows the blocked punt that etched Steve Gleason into New Orleans Saints lore, and the symbolic significance that play took on in a city just starting to recover from disaster, is now immortalized in a nine-foot statue outside the Superdome. Gleason, who now has ALS, famously blocked the ball off of the foot of then-Atlanta punter Michael Koenen and into the end zone for a Saints touchdown on Sept. 25, 2006, the night the rebuilt Superdome and the city of New Orleans hosted an NFL game for the first time since Hurrciane Katrina. The statue, entitled Rebirth, depicts Gleason fully outstretched in a dive, his hands smothering the ball as it leaves Koenen’s foot. Gleason says the statue is symbolizes the commitment of those who returned to rebuild after the storm. (AP Photo/New Orleans Saints, Alex Restrepo)

AP

Unveiled Friday, the “Rebirth” statue in New Orleans shows former Saints defensive back Steve Gleason blocking a punt . . . by a nondescript player from a nondescript team.

In reality, Gleason blocked a ball from the foot of Falcons punter Michael Koenen on September 26, 2006. The memorialization of the moment omits the Falcons logo or Koenen’s name, according to Jim Varney of the New Orleans Times-Picayune.

Varney writes that the Falcons declined to grant permission for the use of the logos and name, with multiple requests from the Saints culminating in an appeal to owner Arthur Blank.

It’s unclear whether Blank made the decision, but it’s clear he didn’t unmake it.

While we can understand the reluctance, the Falcons were part of that moment. Keeping the logo and the name off the sculpture won’t change that fact.