Rickey Jackson recovering comfortably from brain surgery procedure

One of the two greatest Saints in franchise history has experienced a setback but is already on the road to recovery.

Rickey Jackson underwent a one hour procedure to alleviate pressure on his brain this morning at Tulane Medical Center and he is resting comfortably.

Rickeyah Jackson, who is Rickey’s daughter, was present with him before he went into surgery and remains with him in post-operative intensive care.

“The procedure was a success,” Rickeyah said. “He is resting comfortably, very alert and talking like himself with nurses, doctors and all around him. I want to stress that he is doing fine and that any reports otherwise simply are not accurate.”

Jackson recently had a fall, hitting his head which caused a subdural hematoma. The surgery drained bleeding and relieved the pressure on his brain.

“One thing led to another from the fall,” Rickeyah said. “He is not walking around yet but he is doing well. We are told that in a few days, we should have him back home. They had to drain it and relieve the pressure. The doctors said it was a routine procedure to lighten it. Despite what others may say or think, it has nothing to do with football or nothing to do with his cancer.”

Jackson underwent a prostatectomy in 2015 and remains cancer-free. He began an annual prostate screening weekend for former NFL players called “Man Up! Geaux Get Screened” in 2016. The third annual event took place most recently on Sept. 8 at Tulane Medical Center.

Jackson was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2010. He was inducted into the Saints Hall of Fame in 1997, the Greater New Orleans Sports Hall of Fame and Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame in 1999 and was an inaugural member of the Saints Ring of Honor in 2013. The Pahokee, FL native was part of the famed Dome Patrol of the Saints, voted the best linebacker corps in NFL history by NFL Network. Jackson is the all-time leader in sacks in Saints history with 128. He was a six-time Pro Bowl player with New Orleans and won a Super Bowl with San Francisco in 1994.

Jackson was in a serious automobile accident during the 1989 season and missed just two games after undergoing plastic surgery, having his jaw wired shut and having a special helmet made to allow him to return to play.

“My father is a wonderful, loving man and he is a tough man,” Rickeyah said. “He has been through a lot and he will come through this well. He is joking with us. He is speaking well. He is sharp. People that know dad and are around know he is sharp, himself. That is what I want everyone to know. I can assure you that he is doing well. I have been with him throughout and I am sitting next to him.”