NFL's Saints Honor Toms River Fan's Memory With Gifts To His Son

TOMS RIVER, NJ — Rich Bococinski was a huge New Orleans Saints fan. The kind who rooted for them through thick and thin.

"He was an avid Saints fan," Mike Bococinski said a few days after his brother's death. Rich Bococinski died Dec. 12 when he was hit by a car on Fischer Boulevard. He loved the Saints so much that his 5-year-old son, Christian, picked out the tie he was buried in because it was the Saints' colors, and Mike and Rich's friends wore black shirts and gold ties to honor him.

"He loved that whole resurrection of the team and the city," Mike said, referring to the way Hurricane Katrina wreaked havoc on New Orleans, and how the team and the city's rejuvenation were intertwined.

Word of Rich's love of the Saints reached the team, and the team responded with gifts for Christian to honor that memory: a hat autographed by Drew Brees, a towel autographed by Mark Ingram and a football autographed by the entire team.

"This is amazing," Rich's wife, Diana Bococinski said.

The gifts were the result of efforts by Scott Suffy, one of Rich's childhood friends, to connect with the team as he looked for ways to help comfort Diana and Christian after Rich's death.

It's the kind of thing Rich Bococinski would have done if the roles were reversed, Suffy said Monday.

"When my baby was born, he was the first one at the hospital" offering congratulations, Suffy said. And from the moment he learned his best friend had died, Suffy said he knew he had to help Diana and Christian. "That was all I thought about."

Suffy started emailing the team the day after Rich's death. Then posting comments on the team's Facebook page, sending messages through messenger, and calling the team's offices.

"I called so many times the operator answering the phone knew who I was," he said. "I even went on Drew Brees's page."

Suffy said he was hoping they could do a video message for Christian before the viewing, "just something I could share with him." But when he finally connected with someone from the Saints' administrative staff, "there wasn't enough time," because it was in the midst of the final weeks of the season. The Saints (11-5) won their division (the NFC South) and are headed to the playoffs for the first time since 2013. They won the Super Bowl in February 2010 with Brees, who had missed time with a shoulder injury.

The woman Suffy spoke with was moved by the situation, and told Suffy she would definitely do something for Christian. She texted Suffy a few days later and told him to be on the lookout for a package.

"I had no idea what was in it," Suffy said. But it was perfect.

"Rich loved Drew Brees," Diana said. One year for his birthday, Diana got Rich a copy of Brees's book, "Coming Bacl Stronger: Unleashing the Power of Adversity," and her husband couldn't put it down.

"I remember Rich sitting quietly on the couch reading it. He always had this 'I can’t wait to read more' look on his face," she said. "And my husband wasn’t much of a book reader. But he loved reading about Drew."

Hearing Diana's reaction to the package made him feel like he was delivering the kind of comfort Rich delivered to so many others. And it's something he intends to keep doing. Not just for Diana and Christian, but for Rich's memory.

"I have to help Rich," Suffy said. "That's my my job."

Check out the video of Christian opening the box:

Photos provided by Diana De Lello Bococinski, used with permission