Lou Hedley sounds like the name of a guy who might work on your car while smoking unfiltered cigarettes. and the man behind the name looks the part, as well. With his tattoos, 70’s-style, mustache, and power mullet, he’s about as far a cry from the glitz and glamour of the NFL as you can imagine, but the Saints’ rookie punter has been a pleasant (if not peculiar) find for the team.
New Orleans Saints punter Lou Hedley | WGNO-TV / ABC26 / WNOL38
As if the rest of his story wasn’t already interesting enough, Hedley also comes from the land Down Under. So to say that this roughneck Aussie was a long shot to be on the New Orleans is a major understatement. And his path to the NFL is one that many observers have taken special notice of.
His leisurely look and bottom-of-the-world background aside, he’s also got an interesting resume. Before joining New Orleans for training camp this year, Lou Hedley owned a tattoo shop in Indonesia and worked as a scaffolder. He was originally a high school dropout, but he went on to play college football at the University of Miami. Because of that, he wears the number that former Hurricanes player Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson wore. That’s earned him praise and social media shoutouts from the wrestler turned blockbuster action hero.
Hedley was a first-team all-ACC selection in 2022, and he managed to beat out incumbent starter Blake Gilliken in camp. So, the Saints have set the stage for the former Australian Rules player to drop plenty of kangaroo kicks into the coffin corner this season.
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Hedley grew up playing Aussie rules football in semi-pro and amateur leagues. It was his first love, with the gridiron being an afterthought. However, despite some who may have scoffed at the idea of this thirtysomething making the switch to the highest level of American football, He says he wasn’t surprised when he got the call.
“If you don’t come into this building expecting to get the job or wanting to get the job, I think you’re in the wrong place,” he said.
Those words indicate what kind of competitor Hedley will be for the Saints (now 1-0). But just by the virtue of being who he is, and the story of how he got here, he’s become a story. It’s less of a joke and more of an innocent curiosity.
Lou Hedley Is YOUR Favorite Player pic.twitter.com/j9cDxFALFG
— DailySportsDosage (@SportsDsd) September 2, 2023
It may be odd for some of his teammates, especially considering that many of them weren’t even in high school yet when Hedley played at Miami. He’s also an anomaly in that – in a city with many different, local dialects – he’s the guy with the funny accent.
Throw in the fact that he looks like the kind of dude who might jog out on the field with a pack of Marlboros rolled up in his sleeve and you can probably understand why he’s drawn a lot of attention.