Devon Walker’s football career ended last season when he collided with a Tulane teammate, injuring his C3 and C4 vertebrae and leaving him paralyzed from the neck down. But today, Walker is a member of the New Orleans Saints.
The Saints signed Walker on Saturday and welcomed him to their rookie minicamp, and Saints coach Sean Payton said it was an inspiration to the team to have Walker around.
“When Devon got hurt, his football career was just starting to take off after three years of hard work,” Payton said. “Despite the devastating injury he suffered, Devon refuses to let that define him. He is an outstanding young man, who is not only an inspiration to his coaches and teammates at Tulane, but to all of us. Devon’s character, determination, intelligence and work ethic are everything that we look for in a New Orleans Saint when we sign a player. This is the least we can do to recognize Devon and these attributes that we want all of our players to have.”
Saturday was a big day for Walker: He also participated in graduation ceremonies at Tulane, where he has earned his degree in cell and molecular biology.