FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. -- Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Mohamed Sanu -- a native of Sayreville, New Jersey -- plans to honor victims of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks by wearing shoes depicting New York's Twin Towers and the U.S. flag during Sunday's season opener.
Sanu posted a picture of the shoes on Instagram.
The Falcons open the season Sunday -- Sept. 11 -- against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at the Georgia Dome. This will be the first time Sanu has ever played on 9/11, and Sunday marks 15 years since the tragedy claimed almost 3,000 lives and injured another 6,000 in New York, the Pentagon and Shanksville, Pennsylvania.
"I figured I'd do something because I grew up in that area," Sanu said of his hometown, less than 40 miles from Manhattan. "I was like in fifth grade. I was in class at Sayreville Middle School. Those are things you can't forget; very tragic. It felt like a daze, really. You just didn't feel like it was really happening. You didn't understand why it was happening and what was going on. Then you got home and your family explained it to you."
Sanu said nobody in his family or friends of the immediate family died as a result of the attacks.
"But a couple of people I went to school with families got affected," Sanu said. "It was tough on them. ... It was more shock than anything.
"There are a lot of people affected by that day. You just have to show your respect and pay homage to those who were lost and gave their lives to save others. And you have to pay homage to those who saved lives and are still alive today. That's how I see it."
Sanu doesn't anticipate receiving a fine for a uniform violation since he simply had the artwork completed over his regular game shoes. He has painted different characters on his shoes during the past three seasons, including Superman, the Incredible Hulk, Batman, and the Joker.
Sanu sends his cleats to DEZ Customz in the Washington, D.C., area to get them painted.