Earthquake, Hurricane Hilary Greet Saints Before Chargers In L.A. - Jimmy Graham Update

The New Orleans Saints will be glad to return to the 100-degree temperatures and 80% humidity of home after their treacherous "2 Days (Plus) In The Valley."

The Saints can tell some neo noir stories of their own in comparison to the 1996 cult film set in Los Angeles.

Actually, this one would be "5 Days In The Valley."

Despite all the plague-like events - everything but locusts and fire - the Saints led the Chargers 13-10 at the half Sunday night at SoFi Stadium in the L.A. suburb of Inglewood and won 22-17.

New Orleans arrived in the Los Angeles area Wednesday for joint practices Thursday and Friday with the Los Angeles Chargers, leading into their preseason game on Sunday night. Sounds innocent enough, right?

Soon, Hurricane Hilary was on the way to Southern California, which hadn't had such a storm in 84 years. Those tend to be semi-annual off the Louisiana coast. Hilary hit as a Tropical Storm on Sunday in Mexico just below California and began drenching and flooding San Diego. It was dry enough to play in nearby Inglewood, though, as the Saints and Chargers kicked off on time.

But that was only after an earthquake struck 61 miles northwest of SoFi about an hour before kickoff. It registered at 5.1 on magnitude scales, which is moderate. Extreme level is 9.0 to 9.9.

New Orleans tight end Jimmy Graham scores a touchdown reception against Baltimore in the 2014 season in his first time with the Saints. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)

All that after Saints' beloved tight end Jimmy Graham was apprehended by police on Friday night as he tried to flee near a resort where the Saints were staying. Authorities brought Graham in under suspicion of being under the influence of a controlled substance, according to a TMZ report that included a video below.

Graham was released from an area hospital Sunday morning, according to a Saints' statement.

"Jimmy Graham experienced a medical episode last evening, which resulted in him becoming disoriented," the release said. "He was taken into custody by local authorities and transported to a local hospital for evaluation."

Saints' team doctor John Amoss said Graham probably had a seizure.

"Amoss met Graham at the hospital and is overseeing his care," the Saints' release said. "He was released this morning and is with the team."

Jimmy Graham Update From Saints' Coach

Saints coach Dennis Allen updated Graham's situation shortly before kickoff on the Saints' television network's coverage of the game.

"You won't see him tonight out here. He's still really recovering," Allen said. "He's still a little shaken up, but he's really actually in a pretty good spot. We're thankful that medically it wasn't more serious than it was. I think he's in a good spot, but we're going to rest him tonight."

The Saints recently signed Graham after he missed last season with an injury. He began his career with New Orleans in 2010 and became one of the NFL's most feared tight ends through the 2014 season. After a trade, he played for Seattle from 2015-17 before going to Green Bay for 2018 and '19. He played for the Bears in 2020 and '21.