Saints HC Dennis Allen shares update on Jimmy Graham after arrest, medical episode

New Orleans Saints head coach Dennis Allen shared a very positive update on tight end Jimmy Graham on Sunday.

On Friday, police arrested Graham when they found him wandering in traffic near a resort in Southern California while the Saints awaited the game versus the Chargers. They arrested him on suspicion of being under the influence of a controlled substance.

After the incident, however, the Saints revealed that Graham suffered a “likely seizure.” Now, the veteran is back with the team and recovering, according to Allen. TMZ’s reporting initially stated that New Orleans had released Graham following the arrest.

“You won’t see him tonight out here. He’s still really recovering,” Allen said before the game on Fox 8 NOLA. “He’s still shaken up, but he’s actually in a pretty good spot. We’re thankful that medically it wasn’t more serious than it was. Yeah, I think he’s in a good spot. But we’re going to rest him tonight.”

The team said Graham might have suffered a seizure and, after heading to the hospital for observation, returned to the team Saturday. He watched the Saints’ game on Sunday versus Los Angeles from the locker room.

Saints doctor handling Graham’s care following ‘medical episode’

“New Orleans Saints tight end Jimmy Graham experienced a medical episode last evening, which resulted in him becoming disoriented,” the statement read. “He was taken into custody by local authorities and transported to a local hospital for evaluation for what Dr. John Amoss believes to be a likely seizure and spent the night under medical supervision and testing.

“Amoss met Graham at the hospital and is overseeing his care at this time. He was released this morning and is with the team as they continue preparations for Sunday’s game against the Los Angeles Chargers.”

New Orleans ended up winning the game on Sunday without Graham. They beat the Chargers 22-17, moving their preseason record to 2-0.

In New Orleans’ first preseason win versus the Chiefs, Graham had one catch off of one target for 10 yards.

Graham last played in the NFL in 2021 for the Bears. He tallied a career-low 14 receptions for 167 yards and three scores. During his first 12 years in the league, he played five for the Saints, three for the Seahawks, two for the Packers, and two for Chicago.

A five-time Pro Bowler, Graham has appeared in 184 games — including 132 starts — during his career. He has totaled 8,506 yards and 85 touchdowns so far.

The Saints originally drafted Graham in the third round of the 2010 NFL Draft out of Miami, where he played basketball before playing a season of football as a graduate student.

On3’s Matt Connolly contributed to this report.