BENSON BEING SMACKED DOWN BY THE NFL?
 

BENSON BEING SMACKED DOWN BY THE NFL?



League and industry sources who have been following closely the behind-the-scenes developments regarding the Saints don't view owner Tom Benson's Tuesday statement as an epiphany from the parsimonious patriarch of the Saints. Instead, the feeling in some circles is that the NFL smacked Benson on the knuckles with respect to his plan to attempt to move the team to San Antonio or elsewhere, and as to his initial strategy to deny refunds to folks who had purchased tickets to games to be played at the Superdome.



As one industry source opined to us on Tuesday, the challenge for the NFL is to keep Benson on a short leash -- and to keep him away from reporters and/or microphones at all costs.



A separate issue regarding Benson's fit of temporary sanity relates to his apparent desire to move the team to, of all places, San Antonio. Like New Orleans, it's a relatively small market. Like New Orleans, it has a stadium without the high-rent revenue streams (such as swanky luxury suites) that would enable the team to remain competitive with other NFL franchises.



And unlike New Orleans, the San Antonio Saints would be the third pro football team in a tight Texas triangle. So on those many weekends when the San Antonio Saints wouldn't be hosting the Cowboys or the Texans, the Benson will have the same financial problems in Texas that he was experiencing in Louisiana.

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