Soon after he explained to a crowd at the convention center Wednesday that people in Louisiana hug and kiss rather than shake hands, Brees was kissed by a man who was among the big recipients of the day.

The Brees Dream Foundation handed out $25,000 checks to five charities.  In all, more than 250 charities received checks of no less than $2,000.

“That’s right, we hug.  I should have been expecting that after that comment,” Brees laughed after receiving his peck.  He also thanked the man for not going for his lips.

Among the recipients of a check was Team Gleason, led by Saints fan favorite Steve Gleason.  The group is working to find a cure for ALS, the disease that is crippling Gleason himself.

Brees congratulated each of the $25,000 check recipients which were selected based on the success of community service projects.

When he got to Gleason’s group, Brees also had a kiss ready for his former teammate.