MIAMI | No matter what happened on the field on Sunday night, Haiti already won.
The earthquake-devastated nation's relief efforts received a boost every time Colts receiver Pierre Garcon and Saints linebacker Jonathan Vilma spoke during the week leading up to Super Bowl XLIV.
After Garcon caught a 19-yard touchdown pass with 36 seconds left in the first quarter Sunday night, many of the 350,000-plus Haitians living in the Miami area had to be cheering. And it wasn't just because the Colts tied a Super Bowl record for touchdown drive yardage at 96.
After all, Garcon and Vilma quickly became the most notable Haitian spokespersons for the relief efforts in their country outside of the Red Cross' 9-0-9-9-9 texting campaign.
Garcon's parents were born in Haiti, and he was born in upstate New York. He was a sixth-round draft pick out of Mount Union College and had just four catches in 2008. This season he gradually grew into a strong weapon, capping his rise with 11 receptions for 151 yards and the go-ahead touchdown in the AFC championship.
"It's been a good ride," Garcon said earlier this week. "It's been sad to deal with the stuff that's going on in Haiti. To do well on the field, it kind of makes those people over there a little happier -- gives them a little joy and smile. It's been tough to deal with, but I am trying to see the positive side of the thing and trying to have people see you can do something. There can be something good coming out of this earthquake."
When Garcon caught a pass over the middle earlier in the quarter, he was met by Vilma.
A former standout with the New York Jets, Vilma began raising funds with a "Department of Domeland Defense" T-shirt -- his own idea and design -- being sold for relief money.
Vilma and Garcon aren't the only NFL players of Haitian descent, but they had the world's stage all week. Neither lost a family member to the damage, but the land of their ancestors suffered an as-of-yet immeasurable number of lives.
"We feel like it isn't enough to just go out and play on Sundays," Vilma said earlier this week. "It's more than just the football game, especially down in New Orleans. We want to help as much as we can.
"This is really about trying to be a champion, trying to bring back something not only to myself but to everyone in the Haitian community."
Garcon, who speaks Creole in addition to English, plans to go to the country -- where more than 500,000 people remain homeless -- very soon now that the season has ended.
"In general, my intentions are to go down there and be productive," Garcon said. "You hear a lot of people just going down and saying, 'Look at the devastation,' and that's what they're reporting back. Well, that's a given.
"That's obvious. I want to go down there and help, whether it be to clear out the devastation, try to help build homes, whatever it is I want to go down and not just look around and say it's a sad situation. We all know it's a sad situation. What can do I do to help the situation?"
