SAN DIEGO — Football icon Drew Brees gave a Temecula, California teenager the gift of a lifetime this week.
The New Orleans Saints QB surprised Alex Ruiz at a Del Mar flag football event with a prosthetic leg.
"Surprise," Brees yelled into a microphone.
Ruiz suffered a severe leg injury while playing football in October 2017. The quarterback at Linfield Christian School in Temecula was rolling out of the pocket when he was tackled and injured. The injury forced an amputation of Ruiz's foot.
Brees presented the teen with a walking prosthetic Friday.
"If there's anything above cloud nine that's where I'm at right now," Ruiz said, all smiles after Brees asked him what he planned to do first with his new prosthetic.
Brees added that once Ruiz gets the hang of it, he'll receive an athletic prosthetic as well with which to begin athletic training. But that didn't stop the two quarterbacks from sharing a quick pass.
"It's going to allow him to walk around, get around, and then eventually get to the point where he's able to play football again," Brees said. "Because ask him right now and there's no denying the look in his eye that that's what he wants to do."
