VERSAILLES — On his day off in France, New Orleans Saints safety Justin Reid plans to attend Tuesday’s Paris Saint-Germain game against Barcelona at the Parc des Princes.
The match, like Sunday’s game between the Saints and the Pittsburgh Steelers, will go as scheduled. So Reid will head into the city that evening — despite the ongoing protests over rising living costs and school conditions that have captured the world’s attention.
But he had to weigh whether the decision would be dangerous.
“It’ll just be, keep it low-key, keep it fun, do things as a group, do things as a team,” Reid said. “And above all else, stay out of the mix and don’t find any way to be a distraction to what our ultimate goal here is to come in and put on a performance and get a win.”
Saints coach Kellen Moore said he’s leaving it to his players’ discretion over how much they want to explore Paris during their scheduled downtime. After arriving in Paris on Monday, New Orleans has two lighter days of work before gearing up to practice Wednesday through Friday to prepare for the Steelers. The Saints are staying and practicing in Versailles, roughly 12 miles from Paris.
But the protests, which led to violence and riots over the weekend, have players thinking twice about how much of Paris they should see. Reid said he anticipated many teammates staying closer to Versailles rather than branching out.
“I think being in Paris is one of the most beautiful things you can be a part of,” Saints tight end Juwan Johnson said. “It has so much history. It has so much things going on. But I think the biggest thing is just praying for them. With everything that’s going on, I think they’re exercising what they want as far as change and stuff.
“Us as outsiders, we just want to be as safe as possible.”
Johnson noted many players’ families have tagged along for this trip, which marks the NFL’s first-ever game in Paris. But Johnson said his own family — which includes his wife, who is pregnant with their third child, and their two daughters — is still “very undecided” whether to visit and attend Sunday’s game.
“If they do, I’m sure it’ll be great,” Johnson said. “But if they don’t, I completely understand.”
The Saints and the NFL continue to monitor the situation. On Sunday, French President Emmanuel Macron addressed the nation and said he’d seek to hold those who erupted in violence accountable. The violence left one protester and one police officer dead, and saw the torching of government buildings. At least 2,000 people have been arrested, and others have begun to factor in the protests’ impact. The Louvre, France’s iconic art museum, announced it was closed Monday due to the demonstrations out front.
Saints guard David Edwards said after Sunday’s win over the New York Giants that he was still looking forward to the trip. He said he was “confident” the team would keep players safe. The Saints said in a statement Sunday that members of their operations and security staff had been on the ground before the team arrived and had received daily security updates.
“There has been no disruption or impact at any of our team sites,” Saints vice president of communications Greg Bensel said.
During Monday’s press conference, Moore said the Saints don’t “really have anything organized from a team bonding standpoint” for their Paris trip. But New Orleans arrived a full week early, partly to adjust to the eight-hour time zone difference and replicate a “normal workflow” in advance of facing the Steelers.
“Our guys are smart, they understand this is still a business trip,” Moore said. “But at the same time, there will be a little bit of time for these guys to explore. And that’s an important part of this thing — go explore. You’re in a different country, a different culture. It’s a good opportunity.”
For Reid, that means taking in his first PSG men’s match. He said he’d seen the women’s club in person before because his former college roommate’s girlfriend played for the squad.
But he expressed skepticism that the rest of his teammates would be out fully exploring.
“We want to enjoy being in Paris and seeing things, but I don’t think many of us are very interested in getting into the mix that deeply,” Reid said.
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