Sean Payton Told Reggie Bush's Agent 'F--k You' for Telling Saints Not to Draft RB

Former USC and NFL running back Reggie Bush said on the latest edition of I Am Athlete that ex-New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton said "f--k you" to Bush's then-agent, Joel Segal, who requested that the team pass over his client in the 2006 NFL draft.

Bush's remarks about the situation start at 25:25:

News broke the night before the draft that the Houston Texans had decided to take North Carolina State defensive end Mario Williams at No. 1 overall. The Saints held the No. 2 pick, the Tennessee Titans were at No. 3, and the New York Jets had No. 4.

Bush took the audience behind the scenes of what went down next, noting concerns about the New Orleans franchise's situation:

"At that time, the Saints don't have a home stadium [because of Hurricane Katrina].

"It just went through all the destruction, and it was like, that's probably not the best situation to go into. And my agent was like, 'We want to go to New York.'

"Third pick. Big city. Marketing. ... You're gonna make a lot more money. So I was kind of sold an idea. Like, 'All right, let's do it.'

"So my agent called Sean Payton and was like: 'Don't draft us. We not coming. Don't draft us, all right?'

"And Sean's like, just verbatim: 'F--k you. I'm drafting Reggie Bush.' And hung the phone up. Swear to God, hung the phone up."

Bush was quickly swayed that New Orleans was a good option. Quarterback Drew Brees, who had signed with the Saints after a stint with the San Diego Chargers, called Bush and told him that he had a chance to be as good or better than his ex-teammate LaDainian Tomlinson and that he couldn't wait to play with the ex-USC star.

"Right there on the spot, that just changed everything," Bush said. "The way I felt about the place I was going. Just in that time period, it felt good to be wanted."

Bush said he was thankful he went to New Orleans. Shortly after the draft, he visited the Ninth Ward. He said it "completely shifted my purpose" and referenced the opening stages of an investigation that in 2010 led to his voluntary forfeiture of the 2005 Heisman Trophy.

"I gotta leave this college stuff behind me. I gotta leave this Heisman stuff behind me because these people need me right now," Bush said. "... And I didn't realize as much as they needed me, I needed them."

Bush also said he has a great relationship with Payton, who is now his colleague at Fox, where both work as football analysts.

Brees, Bush and Payton also delivered the Saints' first Super Bowl title in February 2010 with a 31-17 win over the Indianapolis Colts.