Saints' Colston Endorses Water Brand, Brings it to Rouse's

The Saints' famously quiet, limelight-avoiding wide receiver, Marques "Hofstra Grad!" Colston, has endorsed a brand of bottled water aimed exclusively at children, called WAT-AHH. The water brand bills itself as "a line of functional bottled water aiming to encourage healthy hydration among kids and fighting childhood obesity," by getting them to drink fun, spunky water instead of sugary soft drinks. And apparently it also teaches them to shout the word in a Boston accent.

Colston generally avoids endorsements (as far as we can tell, this is his first). In the ESPN article linked to above, he's quoted as saying, "I'm never going to enjoy being in the limelight. If it's for a good cause, like the community work we do, I don't mind because you never know what kind of positive effect you'll have on someone. But as far as stuff for my own personal recognition, I don't do that." The closest he's gotten was his participation in the NFL's Play 60 initiative. So he's clearly onboard with the fight-childhood-obesity thing.

According to the press release, "upon learning that the brand isn't yet carried by any supermarkets in Louisiana, Colston took it upon himself to call on the progressive food chain, Rouses." As a result, Rouse's will be selling the brand sometime this month.

The press release in full:

NEW YORK, Oct. 11, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Marques Colston, wide receiver for the New Orleans Saints, joins WAT-AAH!, a line of functional bottled water aiming to encourage healthy hydration among kids and fighting childhood obesity.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20111011/NY82673 )

Three weeks ago, the Super Bowl XLIV champ broke his collarbone while diving for a catch against the Green Bay Packers. Colston, nicknamed "The Quiet Storm" due to his reserved demeanor and extraordinary talent, played through the pain for the following two plays until there was just three seconds left on the clock. It's that same drive and determination that has drawn him to fight on the front lines against childhood obesity with WAT-AAH!

"One in every three children in the U.S. is either obese or overweight, and the state of Louisiana now ranks #4 in terms of this health epidemic. These statistics can't be ignored. What kids and parents don't know is that what they're drinking is contributing to this problem." says Colston. "I decided to make a difference by partnering with WAT-AAH!. Together, we'll work on making exercise exciting to kids and drive the important message of making the right choices when it comes to nutrition, especially hydration," added Colston.

Colston's commitment to promoting a healthy lifestyle is not a new one. He recently participated in the NFL's Play 60 initiative -- a national campaign that promotes youth health, fitness and physical activity and has been involved in numerous events and programs geared toward improving nutrition for kids across the country.

Colston has already started spreading the word, soon after partnering with WAT-AAH! and upon learning that the brand isn't yet carried by any supermarkets in Louisiana, Colston took it upon himself to call on the progressive food chain, Rouses (voted New Orleans Magazine's Best Grocery Store/Deli). As a result, Rouses will be carrying WAT-AAH! in all of their locations by late October, 2011. Rouses and WAT-AAH! will run special promotions revolving around Colston, spanning from sweepstakes to win free tickets to New Orleans Saints games to Colston attending store openings in key markets around Louisiana.

WAT-AAH! is a brand conceived and founded by Rose Cameron in 2008. It is pioneering the change in the kids beverage market by promoting a line of truly healthy functional water, free of sugar or sweeteners of any kind. WAT-AAH!'s has over 5,000 supermarket chains and independent stores and 1,500 schools/districts across the country. WAT-AAH! is also the exclusive beverage partner of Beyonce Knowles' and Let's Move's "Flash Workout" and has also partnered with other key NFL sports stars through Legacy Growth Partners and SWC Management.

For more information please contact Christine Widga at christine@wat-aah.com , 212-627-2630 or visit http://www.wat-aah.com

· Marques Colston, Wide Receiver for the New Orleans Saints Joins WAT-AAH! to Fight Obesity and Encourage Healthy Lifestyles Among Kids! [PR NewsWire]
· All New Orleans Saints Coverage on Eater New Orleans [-ENOLA-]

[Photo: WAT-AHH]