02:16 PM CDT on Friday, September 2, 2005

WWLTV.com

BATON ROUGE -- New Orleans music legend Fats Domino is safe after spending the last two days here in the apartment of LSU quarterback JaMarcus Russell.

Domino was rescued for his home in the lower 9th Ward of New Orleans two days ago and brought to the triage unit at the Maravich Assembly Center on the LSU campus.

Domino, who checked in at the triage unit under is given name of Antoine Domino, was then reunited with family members and taken, along with a dozen other New Orleans natives, to Russell's apartment, which is located just off the LSU campus.

"Tell the people of New Orleans that I'm safe," Domino said just outside of Russell's apartment on Highland Road. "I wish I was able to still be there with them, but I hope to see them soon.

"I want to express my sincere gratitude and appreciation to JaMarcus for opening up and sharing his home with us."

Domino, along with several members of his family, departed Russell's apartment just after 1 p.m. on Friday. They said they weren't sure of their destination.

Russell, a native of Mobile, Ala., said he's had close to 20 people in his apartment for the past two days. Russell said he's had little sleep over the past 48 hours as he's done everything from making trips to the grocery store to even taking a trip to the pharmacy at 2 a.m. to retrieve medicine for Fats Domino.

"The important thing is that Fats and his family are all alright," Russell said. "I'm not sure where they are headed, but I just feel better knowing that they are okay."

Russell said Domino and the other members of his family had spent the past two days sleeping on floors, couches and beds and passed the time watching television coverage of the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

Russell, along with the rest of his LSU teammates, returns to practice at 7:30 p.m. today in Tiger Stadium.