PHOENIX — Dennis Allen was driving to the New Orleans Saints facility one morning earlier this month when he got a call from Michael Parenton, the team’s director of pro personnel. Allen answered and asked Parenton if general manager Mickey Loomis was still meeting with free agent tight end Foster Moreau over breakfast.
“He said, ‘You haven’t heard yet?’” Allen recalled.
Parenton went on to give Allen the shocking news: During a routine physical exam, Saints team physician Dr. John Amoss discovered Hodgkins Lymphoma in Moreau, a life-threatening illness that is causing Moreau — a New Orleans native — to step away from the game to get treatment.
Allen said his initial reaction was one of pure shock.
“Look, you don’t like to find these things,” Allen said. “You don’t want to see these things be present. But yet, our medical people being able to find these things and save people’s lives, it’s amazing. I think our medical people do a hell of a job.”
This is not the first time Dr. Amoss has found a life-threatening condition during a physical exam. He discovered heart conditions in defensive tackle Nick Fairley and long-snapper Jon Dorenbos, the latter of whom required open-heart surgery after Amoss’ discovery.
“I just think the world of John Amoss,” Loomis said. “He’s found things that no one else has found in prior physicals with a number of players over the years. It was horrible news for Foster and his family, I hate that part of it, and yet it’s great news that they discovered something that needed attention.
“We’ve been focused on his health and hope he’ll get back to playing soon.”
Leave a Reply