By Doug MacCash | The Advocate / Picayune
A painting of the Last Supper has appeared on a balcony overlooking Bayou St. John, with quarterback Drew Brees as the focal point. It is inscribed with the words “Verily, It Came to Pass,” referring to the recent retirement of beloved number 9, one of the greatest passers in NFL history, after 15 seasons with the New Orleans Saints.
The latter-day Leonardo da Vinci who created the work is Stephany Lyman, an artist and writer who taught English at the University of New Orleans for 30 years. Lyman is a devoted Who Dat. Sure, she has some misgivings about the NFL’s politics and policies, but still, she believes in the black and gold. Particularly because of the role the Saints played raising the spirits of New Orleanians during the post-Katrina recovery.
“What that team did for the city was so enormous,” she said.
The team’s shepherd in those tough times was, of course, Brees, who stands in Lyman's painting amid some of his most celebrated teammates. From left to right, viewers will recognize Steve Gleason, Thomas Morstead, Jonathan Vilma, Michael Thomas, Jimmy Graham, Marques Colston, Jahri Evans, coach Sean Payton, Pierre Thomas, Deuce McAllister, Cam Jordan and Alvin Kamara.
“These are the apostles,” Lyman said, “the ones who have been part of his journey as a football player.”
Yes, Lyman said, that’s Jimmy Graham in the spot traditionally occupied by Judas. In her view, the record-setting tight end was one of the “most devoted disciples,” but he was swayed by personal ambition and thereby fell from grace.
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