New Orleans Saints running back Travis Etienne dropped a bombshell during his introductory presser with his new team. His revelation had nothing to do with his expectations for next season or his on-field play, however. It had to do with his name.
Turns out, everyone has been mispronouncing Etienne's last name since his college days. As Etienne explained Friday, his last name should be pronounced "AY-chan."
That pronunciation should be easy to remember, as there's another NFL running back whose last name is pronounced the same way. Miami Dolphins running back De'Von Achane may spell his last name differently, but it's pronounced the same way as Etienne.
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As Etienne explained Friday, he accepted a different pronunciation of his last name during his first year in college. Etienne said he tried to correct coaches multiple days before just allowing people to call him "ee-tee-EN."
At that point, Etienne just decided to roll with that pronunciation. But now that he's got a fresh start with a new team, Etienne wanted to set the record straight.
The 27-year-old running back should hear his name quite a bit next season. After rushing for 1,107 yards and seven touchdowns last year,Etienne signed a four-year, $52 million dealwith the Saints in the offseason. He's expected to play a significant role in New Orleans, teaming up with second-year quarterback Tyler Shough to give the Saints a young, promising offensive core.
The signing also puts Etienne in the same division as his brother, Carolina Panthers running back Trevor Etienne. Travis celebrated that fact by noting that he's1-0 over his brotherso far in their NFL careers and hopes to keep adding to that streak.
Now that they are both playing in the NFC South, the Etienne brothers will play twice per season for the foreseeable future. That should give NFL announcers multiple chances to get their names right after Travis set the record straight.
