A reporter called to offer his condolences to a friend who had lost his father to Coronavirus.
That conversation will stay private, except for one nugget. Former Saints quarterback Bobby Hebert gave his dad the ultimate compliment.
“Without him, there is no way I make it to the NFL.”
I am not here to tell you I knew Bob Hebert Sr. very well. We had met only a handful of times.
But, in many conversations with his son, his dad was always a constant. From his father, Bobby learned perseverance.
How else can you explain a long and successful journey?
At South Lafourche, Hebert wasn’t even considered one of the best quarterbacks in south Louisiana.
In the 1977 class 4A playoffs, the headliners were Shaw’s John Fourcade and Bonnabel’s Tommy Wilcox.
At Northwestern State, Hebert was a solid quarterback, but at the time, nothing special.
But, in the United States Football League, his career took off. Hebert was named MVP of the league in 1983 by the Sporting News as the Michigan Panthers won the league title.
As a Saint, Hebert was the starting quarterback of the club’s first ever team to have a winning season, and earn a playoff berth.
Hebert would often wait in the pocket as long as possible, and take the hit, as he delivered the football accurately.
In 1990, he showed a different kind of toughness. In a contract dispute with the Saints, in the prime of his career, he sat out for an entire season.
In 1993, as a free agent he signed with the Atlanta Falcons, and made his only Pro Bowl.
I will never forget the day Hebert signed with Atlanta. Three years, 10 million bucks. Not a lot of NFL money now, but back then? A brinks truck full of cash.
Bobby’s agent, Greg Campbell, stepped out the Falcons’ offices in Flowery Branch, with a smile and a nod.
The quarterback, who had forfeited an entire season, had made his point.
He was paid, and by the Saints’ archrivals.
Hebert played 14 seasons of professional football.
You don’t do that, without being tough.
As parents, we can impart love and wisdom to our children.
We try to guide without being overbearing.
But, often, if we do our jobs well, our children learn the most from what we do, not what we say. And, in that regard, this father, taught the son who carries his name, much.