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Devon Still and Sean Payton share a hug

Bengals defensive tackle Devon Still finally got the chance to thank Saints head coach Sean Payton for helping Leah's cause.

Stacy Revere/Getty Images

Devon Still finally got the chance to meet Saints head coach Sean Payton during the Bengals' 27-10 win at New Orleans on Sunday.

Payton was one of the first to buy Still's No. 75 jersey that helped raise almost $1.5 million for pediatric cancer research in honor of Devon's daughter, Leah, when Payton purchased 100 of them on Sept. 10. That was just the second day they were on sale, and Still finally got the chance to thank him for helping the cause explode like it has.

Payton purchased the jerseys out of his own pocket at a cost of $10,000, but he simply thought it was right thing to do.

"Just something that listening to the radio was something I heard," said Payton. "When I got into work the next day I talked to my assistant, we looked into it and decided that would be a good deal to do. You get to know a group a little closer than other teams and just hearing how they handled it was pretty inspirational. It was really spontaneous and something I thought would be a good gesture."

As for when Payton finally got to meet Still:

"It was great to see him and it was the first time I’ve ever met him. Much has been written and talked about the story. It’s just something I’ve heard about. It’s good seeing him for the first time.You pray for his daughter, (and) you pray for his family."