Los Angeles Saints

[4bubba]

Updated: June 27, 2005, 12:20 PM ET
State gets approval to borrow money for Saints payment
Associated Press
National Football League News Wire

BATON ROUGE, La. -- The state will again borrow the cash needed to make its annual payment to the New Orleans Saints, thanks to a loan arrangement approved Monday, though it's unclear how that borrowing will be repaid or how the state will meet its future obligations to the NFL team.

The state has struggled to pay the Saints for the past few years and has yet to repay the cash it borrowed from an economic development fund last year to make its payment. This time, the state will borrow $10.5 million through a financing mechanism it hasn't used for at least a decade.

Members of the State Bond Commission, which approved the plan Monday, said there were few options available since the Legislature adjourned last week without approving a new tax source for the Saints payment or setting aside dollars in the state's budget to make the latest payment, due July 5.

"We have an obligation that we have to live up to. Some of us many not agree that it's the best contract, but it's a contract we have to live up to. The full faith and credit of the state is behind it," said Sen. Diana Bajoie, D-New Orleans.

The state -- through the Louisiana Stadium and Exposition District which oversees the operation of the Superdome -- will borrow the cash through the sale of a "revenue anticipation note," which assumes that money generated by an entity down the line will cover the repayment of the loan. The head of the LSED and members of the Bond Commission aren't sure where the dollars will come from to repay this loan, however.

The annual payments to the Saints are part of a 10-year, $186 million agreement negotiated by Gov. Mike Foster's administration in 2001. A $15 million payment is due to the NFL team on July 5.

The debt from the payments to the Saints is compounding. The LSED owes the state economic development fund from which it borrowed last year and must repay this newest loan by Jan. 1, 2007. And the annual payments due to the Saints are scheduled to grow next year.

 

[4bubba]

Updated: June 29, 2005, 1:20 PM ET
Panel agrees to borrow millions to pay Saints
Associated Press
National Football League News Wire

NEW ORLEANS -- The Superdome Commission outlined how it intends to use $10.5 million it is borrowing to cover pressing expenses, including paying millions due to the New Orleans Saints next week.

More than half of the borrowed cash will be used to complete the $15 million annual payment the state owes to the Saints.

Another chunk of the money will go to the Hornets, to whom the state owes $2.3 million: $1.6 million for not having sold the naming rights to the arena and $675,000 for the team's failure to hit attendance figures specified in its contract.

The Saints and Hornets payments are due Tuesday.

Even with the new cash, the commission plans to pay only $950,000 of the $4 million it owes this year in insurance premiums on the Superdome and New Orleans Arena, although it will pay off $2.5 million in premiums it still owes from last year.

Another $250,000 is dedicated to improvements at the baseball stadium Zephyr Field.

The commission agreed Tuesday to issue the "revenue anticipation notes," borrowing from its anticipated future revenue to meet its immediate bills.

But unless the Legislature bails out the commission with a major new revenue source, or the Saints agree to give up millions of dollars in annual subsidies that the state -- acting through the commission -- owes to them, Superdome officials acknowledged they were postponing the day of financial reckoning.

The commission's financial plight was eased slightly by a recent upsurge in revenue from the 4 percent tax it levies on hotel rooms in Orleans and Jefferson parishes, and it stands to gain some money after slot machines start operating at the Fair Grounds. But the slots money won't start flowing for more than a year.


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[4bubba]

Updated: July 5, 2005, 3:14 PM ET
State meets Saints payment deadline
Associated Press
National Football League News Wire

NEW ORLEANS -- The state handed the New Orleans Saints a check for $12,415,267.53 Tuesday, its annual multimillion dollar payment to keep the team in Louisiana, according to Louisiana Superdome official Bill Curl.

Under a 10-year, $186 million agreement negotiated by former Gov. Mike Foster's administration in 2001, the state makes annual payments to the Saints.

Gov. Kathleen Blanco has been trying to renegotiate the agreement, but has agreed to make the payments.

The state has struggled to pay the Saints for the past few years and has yet to repay the cash it borrowed from an economic development fund last year to make its payment. This time, the state is borrowing $10.5 million through a financing mechanism it hasn't used for at least a decade.

State Bond Commission members have said there were few options available since the Legislature adjourned two weeks ago without approving a new tax source for the Saints payment or setting aside dollars in the state's budget to make the latest payment.

The governor hopes to re-negotiate the Saints deal, but Saints owner Tom Benson cut off negotiations until after the 2005 football season when the Saints have their first opportunity to negate the current deal with an $81 million payment to the state. The state can opt out of the deal after the 2007 season.

 

[4bubba]

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Reprint from June 2004


Tuesday, June 22

State, team still face problems despite new payment plan

Associated Press
NEW ORLEANS (AP) _ The state scrambled to make a $15 million payment due the New Orleans Saints, and fulfilled the immediate terms of the team's deal. But pressing questions and looming problems remain.

``This is just a quick fix,'' said Tim Coulon, head of the Louisiana Stadium & Exposition District which oversees the operation of the Superdome. ``We have a permanent problem. These payments are going to keep coming and as it stands now and we don't have the funding to meet them.''

................
.........The state is obligated to another $15 million payment in 2005. The payments then jump to $20 million for two years and then to $23.5 million for the final three years of the contract.
_______________________________________
The city of New Orleans has rightly gambled that if the Saints leave, they will get 81 Million Dollars from the Saints. That will much more than repay the previous loans and have money to spare. It will make the Governor look good.

I am not sure when the Saints have to decide. I imagine it will be before the 20 million is due next year.

There is still an inherent problem for the long term.
The Super Bowls have been awarded at least until 2011. That is already after this contract expires. No owner will vote for New Orleans until this mess is settled. Without a Super Bowl, the city will constantly be borrowing more and more money.

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[4bubba]

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Help for the Saints fans


Jags on the move?

It hasn't received the national attention it deserves, but Jacksonville owner Wayne Weaver has gone public with his club's financial losses in the 2001 and 2003 seasons.

Weaver wrote Jacksonville mayor John Peyton earlier this month about the losses and the team's continued disagreement over signage income in the Gator Bowl.

Depending on whom you believe, the Jaguars could force their way out of Jacksonville with a lump sum payment of $32 million, which is pocket change when it comes to an NFL franchise relocation fee.

Although the city did an admirable job for this year's Super Bowl, Jacksonville simply was too small a market (No. 52 television market) and lacked the high-end income earners (per capita income of $30,212) to support a major franchise like pro football. The Jaguars had to black out six of their eight homes last season, despite winning nine games and having upbeat players like quarterback Byron Leftwich.

Jacksonville was a risky franchise proposition from the very beginning. But Commissioner Paul Tagliabue dreamed of opening new frontiers for football and pushed for Jacksonville and Carolina when most NFL owners believed the best propositions were Baltimore and St. Louis. As we all know now, existing teams fought over those two cities. Some within the Raiders still regret that Al Davis didn't take the Baltimore offer instead of returning to Oakland. In financially secure Baltimore, there's no telling how many playoff games Davis would have won because he could have focused totally on football and not worry about all the legal moves he had to make in his never-ending feud with Oakland. In Baltimore, the Raiders would have thrived just like the Browns (err, Ravens) have.

The Rams were also interested in Baltimore, but team owner Georgia Frontiere preferred to return to a city in which she had spent much of her young life. Management, though, knew Baltimore was a better deal.

Of course, both the Rams and Ravens have had tremendous success in their new cities, both winning a Super Bowl. The Jaguars came close in the beginning, but they've been an up-and-down team over the last five seasons.

There is no doubt that Jacksonville football fans probably care as much for U. of Florida as they do the Jaguars. This is a problem in such a small market.

With stadium revenue separating the rich from the poor in the NFL, the Jaguars are really struggling, having over 2,000 high-priced club seats unsold. They will reduce capacity this season in hopes of lifting the television blackout.

But when you think about it, Jacksonville makes more sense as a viable Los Angeles franchise than New Orleans. Fans in Louisiana will pay; we're not that sure the Jacksonville fans will.


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[4bubba]

Updated: Aug. 11, 2005, 9:19 AM ET
Saints want to resume negotiations with state
Associated Press
National Football League News Wire

BATON ROUGE, La. -- New Orleans Saints owner Tom Benson wants to resume negotiations with the state, possibly by the end of the summer, on a deal to keep the National Football League team in Louisiana.

Saints executive vice president Arnold Fielkow said he had no comment about any upcoming meetings. He said Blanco and Benson met a few weeks ago.

"At the appropriate time, we look forward to having an opportunity to continue to discuss ways to ensure the Saints receive a long-term agreement," Fielkow said.

The two sides are looking at resuming negotiations in August or September, said Denise Bottcher, a spokeswoman for Gov. Kathleen Blanco. Benson broke off talks on April 27, saying he wanted to concentrate on the upcoming NFL season.

Bottcher said Benson requested and received a June 17 meeting with Blanco at Saints headquarters in Metairie.

"It was a very friendly meeting," Bottcher said. "Mr. Benson expressed a strong desire to stay in New Orleans, and the governor expressed a strong desire to make that affordable for the state."

Fielkow confirmed the June meeting.

Under the team's existing agreement with the state, the Saints can cancel the contract and move from New Orleans after this season, but Benson would have to pay the state about $81 million in penalties. The state can opt out of the contract in 2008 without paying penalties.

The contract calls for the state to pay the team $186.5 million from 2002 through 2011, a deal negotiated by former Gov. Mike Foster and one that Blanco says the state cannot afford.

The state has had to borrow $15 million two years in a row to make the annual payments to the team because revenue from the hotel-motel tax in Orleans and Jefferson parishes has not met its projected revenue to finance the deal.

What a mess. The Saints have to act like they want to stay. The NFL will never grant a Super bowl to a site without a long term contract and a new stadium. That means the city will continue to owe more and more money. The State will have to dump the contract after the 2006 season because they will be tremendously in debt already.


//


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[4bubba]

Updated: Aug. 12, 2005, 6:31 PM ET
Saints season ticket sails at historic low
Associated Press
National Football League News Wire

NEW ORLEANS -- The New Orleans Saints opened the preseason Friday night at a low point in season ticket sales.

The Saints, who have missed the playoffs for four straight years and 11 of the past 12 seasons, had only sold 33,500 season tickets by game time.

"Most of the NFL teams are over 50,000 and in the 60,000s," Saints executive vice president of administration Arnold Fielkow said. "Our 33,000 is significantly below the league average."

The Saints' latest advertising campaign is, "You Gotta Have Faith," with television commercials playing in a 200-mile radius of New Orleans for several months.

The commercial seeks to tie the Saints lack of success to such other teams as the Boston Red Sox, who finally won the World Series last year.

"People like that commercial," Fielkow said. "It ties in all the ups and downs of faith and what it means to be a Saints fan. We've gotten a great response."

Fielkow partially blames the often-contentious talks between Saints owner Tom Benson and state officials about payments to the team and the future of playing in the Superdome.

"There's a myriad of reasons why we're down," Fielkow said, "but if we end up with a new long-term agreement before next season, I think we could be above 50,000 or 60,000 in season ticket sales next season."

 

[4bubba]

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It must be bad Voodoo. The City of New Orleans has taken a devastating blow. It is extremely sad the way it happened.

The City was reeling from an extremely poor showing from the last Mardi Gras due to the weather and time of year.
Then the City and State have been raiding many funds to pay off the Saints.

Now the hurricane.

The superdome's stadium roof is leaking badly. I am sure it will be considered structurally unsound. It probably will take an emormous amount of money to get the Superdome usable. The Saints are now activally searching for a place to play their home games.

The City will also lose considerable Convention revenue for the next several years.

In 1980 I remember reading a geology book that had a picture of the Mississippi River just North of New Orleans. There were 58 (yes fifty eight) chemical companies in a 14 mile stretch of the River. If this hurricane flushes the chemical companies, plus 50 years of abuse, into the New Orleans bowl, it really will be a "Toxic Gumbo" that is being reported as a possibility now.
The City of New Orleans could be uninhabitable for the next five years.

The Saints are gone for at least the foreseeable future.

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[smurphy]

Mexico City. They've already got a great Catholic name. They'll fil up Azteca a lot easier than the Colliseum. Why not?

 

[4bubba]

New Orleans Team Schedule


2005 Preseason

Date Opponent Time/Result
Aug 12 Seattle Lost 15-34
Aug 18 @New England Won 37-27
Aug 26 Baltimore Lost 6-21
Sep 1 @Oakland 9:00pm



2005 Schedule
Date Opponent Time
Sep 11 @Carolina 1:00pm
Sep 18 N.Y. Giants 1:00pm
Sep 25 @Minnesota 1:00pm
Oct 2 Buffalo 1:00pm
Oct 9 @Green Bay 1:00pm
Oct 16 Atlanta 1:00pm
Oct 23 @St. Louis 1:00pm
Oct 30 Miami 1:00pm
Nov 6 Chicago 1:00pm
Week 10 BYE
Nov 20 @New England 1:00pm
Nov 27 @N.Y. Jets 8:30pm
Dec 4 Tampa Bay 1:00pm
Dec 12 @Atlanta 9:00pm
Dec 18 Carolina 1:00pm
Dec 24 Detroit 1:00pm
Jan 1 @Tampa Bay 1:00pm
All times are Eastern

At least the next two weeks and three of the next four weeks are on the road.
That will give the City time to possible repair the Superdome. It all depends if there is money to fix it or not. The Louisiana Governor has already shown disdain toward the Saints and probably will use available money other places first.


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[4bubba]

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The Saints are truely a team without a home. It is ironic that they are playing in California this weekend, because Los Angeles is the front runner in where they will play. They need a place NOW.

The City of New Orleans is seriously wounded. I feel most Americans never realized that the City was below sea level. It seems stupid now. It was a disaster waiting to happen, and unfortunately, it will probably happen again.

The City is now a "Toxic Gumbo" from 80 years of chemical dumping in the area that is now perculating into the city.

Even if hundreds of billions of dollars is spent on the recovery, there is at least a chance that another hurricane will hit there before the work is finished.

Even with the money and desire, the Saints have no place to play. The Governor will never fix the Superdome until other areas are fixed. It may have to be torn down.

It may take five years for the Superdome to be repaired, and the Saints contract will expire before that.

The Saints and the NFL are walking a fine line now. They do not want to appear to abandon the City, but the games must go on. Look for the NFL to do a lot of lipservice for "the poor people of New Orleans" during the season.

 

[4bubba]

Saints to go to San Antonio after Thursday's exhibition
Associated Press
National Football League News Wire

SAN JOSE, Calif. -- The Saints will head to San Antonio after Thursday night's exhibition game against the Oakland Raiders because most of New Orleans was flooded by Hurricane Katrina.

The team, practicing this week in San Jose, will fly to Texas after their final preseason game to begin preparing for the season opener at Carolina on Sept. 11, team spokesman Nick Karl said.

The Saints practiced in San Antonio last year when Hurricane Ivan threatened New Orleans.

The team is still uncertain whether the Superdome will be ready for its home opener against the New York Giants on Sept. 18.

Tens of thousands of refugees from the storm have been staying at the Superdome, but officials said Tuesday they would have to evacuate as flood water continues to rise. The storm ripped two holes in the curved roof of the building.

 

[4bubba]

Homeless Saints could face vagabond season

NFL.com wire reports

NEW ORLEANS ( Aug. 31, 2005) -- There is only one certainty about the New Orleans Saints' future: They will live and work out of the Marriott Riverwalk in San Antonio for a while.

Beyond that, question marks abound. It's highly unlikely they'll be able to hold their home opener Sept. 18 at the Superdome -- and they may not be able to play there at all this season after the stadium was ravaged by Hurricane Katrina.

So that first game against the New York Giants could be at the Alamodome in San Antonio. Or at Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge, La. Or even at Legion Field in Birmingham, Ala.

And all of those sites could host other home games for the Saints, who escaped the hurricane by flying with their families last weekend to San Jose, Calif. New Orleans plays at Oakland on Sept. 1 in its final preseason game.

While the Saints and NFL officials have been discussing a variety of alternatives, they haven't talked yet with many of the people at the proposed sites.

"We can say is LSU an option, yeah, but is it an option with them?" Saints spokesman Greg Bensel said by phone from San Jose. "That's the next hurdle. We haven't crossed that hurdle yet."

Only one hurdle has been crossed.

Following the Raiders game, the Saints will go to San Antonio, where they will stay at the same hotel they stayed at last season when Hurricane Ivan chased them out of New Orleans in the second week of the regular season.

The Saints will also use the same practice facilities at Trinity University, so they will have, as Bensel put it, "a certain comfort level with where we are."

That would seem to make the Alamodome, which holds 65,000 for football, a logical alternative, although it's about 550 miles from New Orleans, farther than the NFL would like.

But at this point, no one really knows the options.

Commissioner Paul Tagliabue and league officials have discussed the situation over the past few days. Location hasn't been the most important topic.

"We've been talking about how we as a league can assist with relief efforts," NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said. "Not only for Saints players and officials and their families, but also for a lot of other players in the league who live or have families in the region."

The Saints aren't the only ones in sports affected by the damage done to the 65,000-seat Superdome. Bowl Championship Series spokesman Bob Burda said Sugar Bowl officials hope to meet within the next few weeks to talk about what to do with the game scheduled for Jan. 2 in the Superdome.



"It's just too early on their end to even speculate," said Burda, adding that bowl officials had been in contact with BCS coordinator Kevin Weiberg.

It's unlikely officials would want to let the Sugar Bowl leave Louisiana, even for just a year. Independence Stadium, home of the Independence Bowl, in Shreveport has been renovated in recent years and holds about 53,000. Tiger Stadium could also be a plausible option, with a capacity of almost 92,000.

None of the options for the Saints seem ideal, including the unlikely scenario of playing their entire schedule on the road.

Switching their home opener to the Meadowlands is a problem because the Giants share their stadium with the New York Jets, who are scheduled to play Miami at home that day.

There has been talk of using Reliant Stadium in Houston, but the Texans are home Sept. 18 to Pittsburgh.

Those hurdles could be overcome by playing games on Saturday or Monday, but it hardly seems like a palatable option to either the team or the league.

The last time a game shifted locations on short notice was on Oct. 27, 2003, when the Chargers and Miami Dolphins met at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Ariz., after wildfires in southern California prevented the game from being played in San Diego. That was a regularly scheduled Monday night contest and no admission was charged -- 73,000 people attended, far more than usually attend Arizona Cardinals games at the same venue. And just a year ago, the Dolphins moved their season opener vs. Tennessee from Sunday, Sept. 12 to Saturday, Sept. 11 due to Hurricane Ivan.

But this is likely to be more than a one-shot deal and few of the alternatives seem particularly enticing.

Both the league and the Saints would like to stay as close to home as possible, although other stadiums are showing interest in having them.

Mayor Buddy Dyer of Orlando, Fla., proposed that the Saints try the little-used Citrus Bowl. There was no indication that the Saints were even familiar with that offer.

Even before the hurricane, the team has been negotiating with the state of Louisiana for a new stadium to replace the Superdome. Owner Tom Benson has suggested that without one, he might sell the franchise, leading to speculation that the Saints might be the team that fills the hole in Los Angeles left vacant when the Rams moved to St. Louis and the Raiders went back to Oakland after the 1994 season.

Yes, the Los Angeles Coliseum is among the sites suggested as a possibility for this season.

But all of that is speculation.

"We just don't know yet," Bensel said. "We really don't."

 

[smurphy]

Conditions in the Superdome had become horrendous: There was no air conditioning, the toilets were backed up, and the stench was so bad that medical workers wore masks as they walked around.

--that was a quote after a Saints game last November!

.....RIMSHOT

 

[4bubba]

Updated: Sep. 1, 2005, 6:19 PM ET
NFL commissioner: Saints unlikely to play in New Orleans
Associated Press
National Football League News Wire

NEW YORK -- NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue says it's unlikely the Saints will play in New Orleans this season after the devastation Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath inflicted on the city.

"At this point you have to proceed on the assumption ... that they may be unable to play in New Orleans at all for the entire season," Tagliabue said (with a smile) Thursday in an interview with CNBC.

"If things evolve in a positive way, then that would be something that we could adjust to. But our assumption is that for planning purposes, we should assume it will be difficult if not impossible to play in New Orleans at all this year."

The Saints will move into a hotel in San Antonio, Texas, this weekend and practice in San Antonio in preparation for their regular-season opener at Carolina Sept. 11. They have spent this week in San Jose, Calif., and played their final exhibition Thursday night in Oakland.

But it still hasn't been decided where they will play their regular-season opener Sept. 18 against the New York Giants or play the rest of their games.

The New Jersey Sports & Exposition Authority, which runs Giants Stadium, has offered to host the upcoming Giants-Saints game there. It would likely be played Monday, Sept. 19 because the Jets will play Miami that Sunday at Giants Stadium.

Tagliabue said moving the game to New Jersey was one possibility.

He also said games could be played at another NFL stadium or at a non-NFL stadium. He didn't name any specifically, but the Alamodome in San Antonio seats 65,000 for football, about the same as the Saints' regular home at the Superdome in New Orleans, which was heavily damaged by Katrina.

Tagliabue, who announced on Wednesday that the NFL was donating $1 million to the recovery effort, added that the emphasis should be the total recovery of the region hit by the hurricane. So did Gene Upshaw, the executive director of the NFL Players Association in a statement released on Thursday, although Upshaw did not immediately say what form the union's help would take.

"We want to really emphasize above all that sport is a small part of life," Tagliabue said. "We want to use are visibility and the respect we have with the public and the respect our teams have to support the national recovery program. That's the big thing."

 

[4bubba]

Updated: Sep. 9, 2005, 1:06 AM ET
Report: Deal would move four Saints home games to San Antonio
Associated Press
National Football League News Wire
SAN ANTONIO -- A deal is close that would move four of the New Orleans Saints' home games to the Alamodome, according to a published report.

The San Antonio Express-News, citing unidentified sources close to the negotiations, said Friday that city and Saints officials have nearly completed a deal to bring four games to the city.

A high-ranking city official said the NFL hasn't signed off on the deal, but other city government sources told the newspaper they didn't expect any problems gaining approval from league commissioner Paul Tagliabue.

The Saints have set up makeshift headquarters and are practicing in San Antonio because of the hurricane damage to the Louisiana Superdome. They have said they would prefer to play their home games at LSU in Baton Rouge. The newspaper said the plan being discussed also would move three Saints' home games to LSU's Tiger Stadium.

The newspaper said an announcement on an agreement could come as early as Friday.

"I'm not aware that an agreement has been reached," NFL spokesman Joe Browne told The Associated Press. "The scheduling of games needs approval of the commissioner."

B.J. "Red" McCombs, a San Antonio businessman and former Minnesota Vikings owner, has helped facilitate talks between the city and the Saints.

"It looks a little better every day," McCombs said.

The newspaper said likely games to be moved to San Antonio are Oct. 2 against Buffalo, Oct. 16 against Atlanta; Dec. 4 against Tampa Bay and Dec. 24 against Detroit. The Oct. 2 date opened after the Builder's Showcase Expo at the Alamodome agreed to reschedule, dome director Mike Abington said.

The newspaper said the projected dates for Baton Rouge are Oct. 30 against Miami, Nov. 6 against Chicago and Dec. 18 against Carolina.

 

[4bubba]

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things are getting real ugly now. The NFL is not going to promise New orleans anything, especially after the governor has been such a pain for so long.

the NFL will want a new stadium minimum and they are not going to pay for any of it.
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Updated: Oct. 19, 2005, 2:27 PM ET
New Orleans mayor blasts Saints ownerAssociated Press
National Football League News Wire

NEW ORLEANS -- Mayor Ray Nagin disparaged Saints owner Tom Benson on Wednesday for working with San Antonio officials to permanently keep the NFL team in Texas.

The mayor's comments came after the departures of two top Saints executives who were supportive of keeping the Saints in Louisiana. Nagin is concerned that San Antonio officials said publicly that Benson is working with them to relocate the franchise to Texas.

"We want our Saints, we may not want the owner back," Nagin said while attending the reopening of Cafe Du Monde in the French Quarter.

"I'm ready to go to the NFL and to (commissioner Paul) Tagliabue and say, 'Give us the Cleveland plan,' " Nagin added, referring to the league awarding Cleveland an expansion team almost immediately after the Browns moved to Baltimore after the 1995 season. "Whatever the Saints want to do, you let them leave, but they can't take our logo, they can't take our name, and you give us a promise to give us a franchise when this city's back."

A Saints spokesman did not return a telephone call and e-mail seeking a response to Nagin's comments.

"For them to be openly talking to other cities about moving is disrespectful to the citizens of New Orleans, disrespectful to the Saints fans who have hung in with this franchise through 30-something years under very trying times," Nagin said.

The Saints joined the NFL in 1967. In 1986, Benson was part of an ownership group that bought the team to ensure it would stay in Louisiana. Benson eventually bought out other members of the group.

During Benson's ownership, the state of Louisiana has built him a new headquarters, including spending $6.75 million for an indoor practice field in 2003. The state also has paid for repeated improvements to the Louisiana Superdome at Benson's insistence during the past two decades.

On Monday night, Benson fired Arnold Fielkow, the team's top business executive since 2000. Fielkow had overseen a 36-game sellout streak at the Superdome and negotiated an unprecedented stadium lease that called for the state to pay Benson $187 million in direct subsidies over 10 years.

But Fielkow has said he believed the Saints needed to be leaders in New Orleans' rebuilding process after Hurricane Katrina and repeatedly praised Saints fans in Louisiana as the best and most loyal in the NFL. Fielkow has since said that stance led to his dismissal.

On Tuesday, Conrad Kowal, senior director of marketing and business development, also resigned.

Nagin called Benson's recent actions a "doggone shame."

 

[sethseth]

is LA doing anything to get the saints over here? This is a perfect opportunity. I want a freaking football team around here. San Diego is too far away.

 

[4bubba]

Updated: Oct. 20, 2005, 4:41 PM ET
Officials expect Superdome to be ready for some 2006 Saints game
Associated Press
National Football League News Wire

BATON ROUGE, La. -- Louisiana Superdome officials said Thursday that the stadium should be largely cleaned up from Hurricane Katrina and ready for the New Orleans Saints to play at least some of their games there in 2006.

However, the announcement came as San Antonio officials said they were working Saints owner Tom Benson to keep the team in Texas. The state must also respond to the team's assertions that its state-owned practice facility has been rendered unusable by damages caused by federal agencies in the weeks following the Aug. 29 storm.

The Superdome, severely damaged by high winds, should have a temporary roof in place within 10 days, said Doug Thornton, regional vice president for SMG, which manages the Superdome. An environmental assessment of its interior -- damaged by rainfall through holes in the roof and its use as a shelter for evacuees -- should be finished by Dec. 1, he said.

"We're working to make the Dome ready for the next season," Thornton said at a meeting of the Louisiana Stadium and Exposition District Commission, the state board that oversees the Superdome.

The Saints have drawn criticism recently with shake ups in upper-level staff, as Benson apparently leans toward moving the team from New Orleans to San Antonio.

On Monday, Benson fired Arnold Fielkow, the team's top business executive since 2000 and an advocate for keeping the Saints in Louisiana. Fielkow has said that stance led to his dismissal. On Tuesday, Conrad Kowal, senior director of marketing and business development, resigned.

The team also sent a letter to the Louisiana National Guard and the stadium commission, saying their Jefferson Parish practice facility, leased from the state for $1 per year, has been damaged so badly by federal actions after the storm that the team cannot return "for some time (if ever)."

"These actions have effectively terminated the Saints' lease for the facility and have caused great and continuing damage to the team," said the letter, signed by lawyers for the team.

Tim Coulon, head of the stadium commission and the state's negotiator with the team, said Thursday that state officials planned to inspect damage at the practice facility next week.

"If there's some damage to those buildings, we're going to rectify that," Coulon said.

Asked it he thought the letter was Benson's first step toward leaving New Orleans, Coulon said he hoped not.

"I don't want to speculate, because I haven't heard from him," Coulon said. "But it's not too late (for Benson) to step up to the plate and be the good citizen."

Under the terms of the state's contract with the team, the Saints could argue that the storm has made the stadium unusable, move to another state and avoid paying an $81 million penalty, Coulon said.
Coulon said the state would fight such a move, probably in court or in arbitration.

 

[4bubba]

Updated: Oct. 21, 2005, 6:29 PM ET
Saints owner seeks to quell uproar over reported relocation talks
Associated Press
National Football League News Wire

NEW ORLEANS -- New Orleans Saints owner Tom Benson said he hasn't made any plans to move the NFL team to San Antonio.

Benson's statement Friday came two days after New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin said talk of moving the Saints in the wake of Hurricane Katrina was a shameful act of disrespect to fans who supported the franchise for nearly four decades.

But Benson said he wanted to "make it clear that no decisions have been made regarding our future plans," and added that none would be made until the 2005 season is over.

"There are many factors that will affect the future location of our team," Benson said. "That is also true of many other New Orleans-based companies that are faced with deciding their future homes."

On Oct. 30, the Saints will play the first of four scheduled home games in Louisiana -- all in LSU's Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge -- because of damage to the Louisiana Superdome.

Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco will be there and said she intends to meet with NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue, who also plans to attend.

"The NFL recognizes the loyalty to the Saints shown by the state of Louisiana and the city of New Orleans," Blanco said. "NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue personally told me that when I spoke to him a few days ago and he is supportive of the New Orleans recovery. ... We are ready to meet with Saints representatives and the NFL leadership to help make their transition back to New Orleans certain."

Superdome officials said the stadium should be mostly cleaned up and ready for the Saints to play at least some of their games there in 2006.

Meanwhile, San Antonio officials said they were working with Benson to keep the team in Texas. The Saints have played two games in San Antonio and have another there against Detroit on Dec. 24.

Ticket sales for the Baton Rouge games surged briefly when the Saints launched a marketing campaign there nearly two weeks ago. But this week, Benson fired Arnold Fielkow, a top business executive who supported the franchise's return to Louisiana. Soon after, another top executive left.

Those departures lent credence to comments by San Antonio Mayor Phil Hardberger that Benson wanted to meet with him to discuss relocating the team to Texas beyond this season.

Then, Benson's lawyer informed the state of Louisiana that the Saints wanted out of their lease on team headquarters in suburban New Orleans.