Payton on signing Michael Mauti: 'It was an easy decision'
Doug Mouton , WWLTV 7:32 PM. CDT July 26, 2017
Michael Mauti against the Arizona Cardinals at University of Phoenix Stadium. Photo: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
METAIRIE -- One of the Saints best locker room presences is back, and Sean Payton couldn’t be happier.
“It was fantastic to see (Michael Mauti) being healthy,” Payton said.
At his Training Camp opening Press Conference, Payton said he’s kept up with Mauti since he had to leave the team with Ulcerative Colitis, an extremely painful inflammatory bowel disease.
“I promised him when he left for the surgery, that we’d work him out when he was healthy," Payton said. "And two of three different times during the summer, I’d get these video clips sent to me. It was him doing power cleans, him doing this, him doing that.”
Mauti never let his disease derail his NFL dream and once he was healthy again, the Saints re-signed him.
“It was an easy decision,” Payton said. “He went through a workout the other day for us. I already knew he would pass it based on the videos he was sending me.”
Mauti played his high school football at Mandeville High, before following in this father’s footsteps to Penn State. Rich Mauti was a great special teams player for the Saints from 1977-1983. Michael Mauti was the Saints Special Teams Captain last year, and with Dannell Ellerbe out for the season, there’s a clear path for Mauti to make the Saints roster this summer again.
“It’s good to have him back and to have him back healthy,” Payton said
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He opened up about his fight against the disease — which has put his football playing career in jeopardy — in a story in NOLA.com earlier this year.
Mauti, who played eight games for the Saints in 2016 and was a special teams captain, has been in the NFL since 2012, but he kept his fight quiet until this spring. In the interview, he revealed details about the disease, including his frequent and painful trips to the bathroom.
As bad as the symptoms were on that memorable night in 2015, they had worsened considerably the following season. For much of 2016, Mauti would defecate between 20 and 25 times per day. Each time, he experienced “excruciating pain” because of the inflammation. He dealt with cold sweats and cramping morning, noon and night.
Mauti said he lost 47 pounds because of the disease. And now as a free agent, he is training with the hopes to play again.
The linebacker got a gift to help with his frequent bathroom trips this week, as he received a large shipment from toilet paper company Charmin. Mauti sent his thanks for the supply via Twitter, joking his road to recovery “might as well been paved in Charmin.”
Doug Mouton , WWLTV 7:32 PM. CDT July 26, 2017
Michael Mauti against the Arizona Cardinals at University of Phoenix Stadium. Photo: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
METAIRIE -- One of the Saints best locker room presences is back, and Sean Payton couldn’t be happier.
“It was fantastic to see (Michael Mauti) being healthy,” Payton said.
At his Training Camp opening Press Conference, Payton said he’s kept up with Mauti since he had to leave the team with Ulcerative Colitis, an extremely painful inflammatory bowel disease.
“I promised him when he left for the surgery, that we’d work him out when he was healthy," Payton said. "And two of three different times during the summer, I’d get these video clips sent to me. It was him doing power cleans, him doing this, him doing that.”
Mauti never let his disease derail his NFL dream and once he was healthy again, the Saints re-signed him.
“It was an easy decision,” Payton said. “He went through a workout the other day for us. I already knew he would pass it based on the videos he was sending me.”
Mauti played his high school football at Mandeville High, before following in this father’s footsteps to Penn State. Rich Mauti was a great special teams player for the Saints from 1977-1983. Michael Mauti was the Saints Special Teams Captain last year, and with Dannell Ellerbe out for the season, there’s a clear path for Mauti to make the Saints roster this summer again.
“It’s good to have him back and to have him back healthy,” Payton said
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
He opened up about his fight against the disease — which has put his football playing career in jeopardy — in a story in NOLA.com earlier this year.
Mauti, who played eight games for the Saints in 2016 and was a special teams captain, has been in the NFL since 2012, but he kept his fight quiet until this spring. In the interview, he revealed details about the disease, including his frequent and painful trips to the bathroom.
As bad as the symptoms were on that memorable night in 2015, they had worsened considerably the following season. For much of 2016, Mauti would defecate between 20 and 25 times per day. Each time, he experienced “excruciating pain” because of the inflammation. He dealt with cold sweats and cramping morning, noon and night.
Mauti said he lost 47 pounds because of the disease. And now as a free agent, he is training with the hopes to play again.
The linebacker got a gift to help with his frequent bathroom trips this week, as he received a large shipment from toilet paper company Charmin. Mauti sent his thanks for the supply via Twitter, joking his road to recovery “might as well been paved in Charmin.”
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