There's a lot of reasons for Travis Etienne Jr. to be excited about his Louisiana homecoming. Being so much closer to family and friends in Jennings, about three hours away, is one of them. Another is knowing that he'll get to hear his name pronounced correctly. Etienne shared that story during his New Orleans Saintsintroductory press conference.
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"So growing up, it's Travis Etienne. So it's like A-C-H-A-N-E, and that's how you always said Travis Etienne," Etienne began. If it helps, Etienne is pronounced the same way as Miami Dolphins running back De'Von Achane (AY-chan). He continued, "But when I went to college I kept telling them my name like every, every day, every day. And after like four weeks they just couldn't get it. So I'm like, man, E-T-N. Like how you see it is how you say it. And that's how that became. And I guess it took off because it was easy for the announcers to say it."
Many athletes -- and many people outside of sports -- have had to go from one name to another for convenience. It's refreshing to see Etienne joining such a comfortable environment that, to some extent, he's feeling like himself again.
"I'm very much open to being Travis Etienne again," he grinned. "Just, uh, being myself. I don't have to correct people here on how to say my name each and every day. And I kind of love that. And that, just, get back to me."
Etienne was a college football star for the Clemson Tigers before turning pro, where he got to join his teammate Trevor Lawrence on the Jaguars. After rushing for 1,000 or more yards in three of his last four years, he's set to take over for Alvin Kamara on top of the Saints depth chart. Signing a top-dollar four-year contract certainly helped, but there's a lot to say for the attraction of coming home, too.
This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: Saints RB Travis Etienne Jr. wants you to say his name correctly