FIELKOW FIRING MEANS SAINTS LEAVING?
 

FIELKOW FIRING MEANS SAINTS LEAVING?



WWL-TV in New Orleans reports that the Saints have fired Vice President of Administration Arnold Fielkow on Monday.



Our buddy John Marie of 990-AM in New Orleans sums up the move thusly: "It's over. The Saints are leaving."



Last month, Fielkow spoke out regarding the plans of owner Tom Benson to leave New Orleans in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. Benson initially planned to force the issue by refusing to provide refunds to Superdome season-ticket holders. The NFL quickly sat on Benson, getting him to abandon the notion of bolting the Bayou in its hour of need.



More recently, Benson has been, by all appearances, using San Antonio mayor Phil Hardberger as his surrogate. Hardberger has said that he wants the Saints to move permanently to San Antone, and he described the team's efforts to sell tickets to a quartet of games in Baton Rouge a "disaster."



Fielkow, we can only surmise, chose to speak up again. This time around, however, Benson apparently opted not to react kindly to the reminder that he is riding down the street buck-naked on the back end of a burro.

http://www.wwltv.com/

Leaving is not a given. NFL owners still have to vote on this and approve it by two thirds. It is believed Benson has very few friends amongst NFL owners. Plus Tags has said no, and though he has no official power to block the move, he is the commish, and owners will listen to him. Bit it is an interesting move. Why hasn't he fired Haslett though? That's the report I wanna see.

Perhaps you have heard differently, but all I've heard from Tag is "You won't talk move (right now)." - immediate post-Katrina talk.



Maybe he will. But - Haslett is managing in post-Katrina disaster, for one. There is still hope for this team, for another. And lastly, it's up to the new owner, if there is one, to fire and hire. Benson is probably thinking "I'm up to my arse in sellin' and negotiations and such. The last thing I need to do at the moment is bring in a new coach".



8)

My bad. I only meant as fas as them moving to San Antonio. He called it a small market, and said no team is going from one small market to another. Other than that, I can;t see Benson moving to LA. He would prob sell the team first.

Benson sucks.... it seems that he was able to put up with the effects of Katrina for a few weeks, but now his greed is taking over.... he was able to do the right thing for a while, but he can't bear to minimize any of his profits....@$$hole

he has every right

Sure he has the right as a businessman, but as a human being he should be just down right ashamed of himself.... he's planning on taking away something that belongs in New Orleans. I hope there's a special circle in Hell for people like that....

Saints Exec. Fielkow let go by Benson

Disagreement over number of games in San Antonio caused rift, Fielkow says

In his six years with the New Orleans Saints, Arnold Fielkow, Saints Executive Vice President of Administration, has been given much credit for a 36-game sell-out streak in the Superdome, a $187 million reimbursement deal with the state of Louisiana, and re-positioning the organization in San Antonio after the most unsettling situation in NFL history.

Arnold Fielkow believes he was fired by Saints' owner Tom Benson because he disagreed with the owner's plans to play the Saints' home games in San Antonio.

But apparently that was not enough to keep Fielkow employed by the Saints.

In a conversation with WWL-TV Sports Director Jim Henderson on Monday afternoon, Fielkow said he was called into Tom Benson's office Monday and told that he had five minutes to sign an agreement giving up all his rights under contract while vowing confidentiality or be fired.

Fielkow, a lawyer himself, said he wouldn't sign anything without the advice of counsel, walked out of the office, and was dismissed.

According to Fielkow, Benson told him, “We just don't see eye to eye. I fear for your health. You don't look good. Flying is a problem for you and it's wearing on you.�

When Fielkow said he told Benson, “I've never hurt you," Benson replied, according to Fielkow, "You hurt me two months ago."

Two months ago was approximately when Fielkow took Benson on over the owner’s desire to move all the Saints games to San Antonio this season. Fielkow supported not abandoning the citizens of this state in the wake of Hurricane Katrina and supported the plan later endorsed by the NFL to play four home games in Baton Rouge.

With no other substantial reasons given for Fielkow’s dismissal, that concern for Gulf Coast Saints fans apparently cost him his job.

The Saints offered no comment on the incident, but they confirmed that Fielkow is no longer affiliated with the team.

http://www.wwltv.com/local/stories/w...103d51863.html

Ownership down
 

It finally occured to me why this franchise has been moribund for the past 30 years....Ownership.
Look at the really good teams in the NFL. It all starts from ownership down. Patriots, Eagles, Atlanta, Pittsburg. All these teams have owners that care about bringing a championship to their towns first and the bottom line second. Benson has always cared about the latter first and the former second. He is a scumbag in my book. He has squeezed every last ounce of money out of the State of Louisiana possible and now that there is no more money to be had he desperately wants to move on to his next cash cow, San Antonio.
This is a plea to the other 31 owners in the NFL. Tagliabue must invoke some sort of Bud Seligish, Good for the Game, clause as commisioner and have the other 31 teams buy the Saints from Tom Benson and later resell it to the city of New Orleans. If the city of Green Bay can own their own team, then New Orleans can own it's own team. They cannot let this used car salesman take our region for the proverbial RIDE. There are plenty of better options for teams to move to L.A., with the Chargers and Vikings chief among them. The gulf coast citizens have bled for this team and I don't want to imagine a world where the Saints play for San Antonio or any other city. My grandfather attended the first Saints game in Tulane stadium in 1967 and I want my son to be able to see his first Saints game in our new facility once it is built.

In NEW ORLEANS!

RE: Ownership down
 

I guess the time is near boys. We finally get to see Mr. Benson get *****ed slapped by NFL owners and the Commissioner. I cannot believe that the Mayor of San Antonio is said to be supporting this move. I guess they were quitely hoping all along that the Saints were going to move to San Antonio. Secret meetings with Benson and the Political Leadership of the City of San Antonio? They can all suck my @#$$. If the team ever moved to San Antonio I would never support them again. Texas gratiously took all of the New Orleans Refugees and they are now filling previously vacant teaching, nursing, labor and other jobs. I am sure they also get some kind of payment for every new resident from the federal government, as well as for those who were previously on the Lousiana's Welfare Dime. I think Texas made out pretty well in this deal and now attempting to get the Saints. Oh, what a good neighbor?

RE: Ownership down
 

benson is sickening. i have been so depressed about the team and the prospects for the future i have not been able to bring myself to post much. i have hope, even if distant. maybe with insurance and fema etc. a new stadium could be built and turn it into a non-issue. but even if that happens we are still stuck with a penny ante used car greedmeister who puts the dollars ahead of everything else. the simple fact that he bought the team for what?, 30-40million and now it could be easily sold for 500 million, perhaps 3/4 of a billion dollars even... i ask- how much is enough tom? sure some years have gone by, but a tenfold+ return on an investment is enough for most folks. most owners are egomaniacs. being a franchise owner to them is equivilent to what having a high dollar fantasy team is to most working stiffs. many of them are more concerned about what the world and their respective teams communities think of them. do you sense that about this old senile sob who wrings a few more million out of one of the poorest states in union whenever he can? as much as many may hate the personality of jerry jones there is one thing that no one questions- his priority and commitment to his team winning. arthur blank poured millions of his money INTO the falcons and the georgia dome to revitalize them and make them competitive. i wish no ill for anyone but i will rejoice in new hope if he would croak tomorrow. rita may be bad or worse and have the team sold and out of NO overnight. i'll take the chance to at least deal with a different evil than the one that has kept this team from reaching it's potential for over two decades now. success starts from the top. don't take the megamoney now tom and stab the hearts of football crazy fans with the same dagger you claimed to be saving them from 20 yrs. ago!

RE: Ownership down
 

Benson must sell

RE: Ownership down
 

Benson cut talks off with the state before Katrina .

I had assumed he was going to bend the Saints fans over at some point for his desire to move to Texas . You assumed that San Antonio officials were hoping , I think that Katrina just moved the time table up for those people behind closed doors .....

If Benson takes the Saints from New Orleans

I wish upon him the darkest voodoo curse ever .....

RE: Ownership down
 

I have a question. Why don't people start buying tickets to Saints' games in Baton Rouge? Why not? At least it would show support. If the tickets don't sell in Louisiana, and they sell like hot cakes in friggin Texas, why the hell would sh!t bag Benson want to stay? I'm just saying, the only way the state and the fans can keep their team is to sell out every friggin game at Tiger Stadium. That is the only chance.

i have my tickets but there has been absolutely no media/sales push in baton rouge until this week. that has only been small newspaper ads as far as i can see too. i haven't seen one t.v. ad (although i am no big watcher). BR refused to relax the blue laws for saints sundays. party like hell for tiger tailgaiting on saturdays but bible belt mentality is still shutting down sundays. benson's shootouts with the state in negotiations are a pretty big negative all around the state if you do not have the pleasure of enjoying the saints locally. even with one upper deck closed, 79,000+ is still cavernous to fill. being 14,000 more than SA and a lot of people economically hit by both hurricanes i hope benson will give away more than the 8000 he did for SA. just a few thoughts.

local media joked that they might sell more tickets if they promoted it as sales of miami dolphins and nick saban tickets. the losing legacy of the saints is a tough sell against lsu. the bengals would have probably been out of business similarly if ohio st. played in cincy.

hopefully the stadium will have a little of the same homefield advantage roar it does for the tigers.

eagles are constantly and ridiculous under the salary cap. their ownership sucks. their couch and the rest of the org is what keeps them winning. that may be ending this year. they look in trouble after the last two weeks. listen to wip 610 and you can here about how great their ownership is. lurie sucks. they will start losing soon and when they do it will continue. they are in the same boat as new england. our problenm isn't ownership as much as coaching. benson owes no one. katrina is a natural disaster. end of story.

Re: RE: Ownership down
 

The saints tickets are from my understanding now , and excuse me if I am wrong . Only sold in packaged deals to the Saints games in Baton Rouge .

There has been a major outcry among Saints fans over tickets in general .

Some speculate that the tickets were made harder to get for Baton Rouge rather than San Antonio in an attempt to discourage fans in Baton Rouge and make it look like San Antonio was a better market .

If only that would happen, it would be a blessing.

If only that would happen, it would be a blessing.

Not in anyway am I being a smartazz, but I don't think you really understand just how bad Louisiana and Mississippi have been demolished. Three quarters of Miss is still in ruin. There are several cities that are GONE, literally gone, nothing there but roads and empty lots. La and Ms people have just a little more important things to spend their money on.

I agree with SPK and Deuce. It is Besnons call, but he could be a frickin human being with just a ounze of morallity. Hate it, but if the NFL owners don't get involved.....they are gone.

In principal, this is a great idea. The sad reality is Green Bay will be the only team to have this arrangement. The league has a rule that no longer allows this kind of ownership of a team. Cleveland wanted to do the same thing with the Browns, but was only able to keep the name. It's still a great idea though. Who wouldn't pony up right out their pockets if we could all own the team and make sure they never move?

The Saints tickets for Baton Rouge can be bought per game. It's not all package deals. As well, tickets prices for San Antonio are twice as much as those in Baton Rouge. The highest ticket in Baton rouge is $89, the highest in San Antonio is $140. The lowest ticket in BR is $15, the lowest in SA is $30.

I'll tell why Baton Rouge isn't selling tickets... its because they don't CARE. They never have and never will, unless of course you move them to Baton Rouge then maybe... they didn't want to fork over a new staduim and gave a hissy fit when having to live up to the current deal with the Saints.

As much as I have like Benson over the years I think he just needs to hand the team over to his granddaughter now and or sale.

wow yous guys really look at this with a mentality that making money makes you a greedy son of a *****. amazing. the funny thing to me is and always will be that if you guys owned the team i am damn sure that your pocket would be the one that mattered. because you don't that makes the man that owns them greedy. define greedy by the way. are you greedy. am i greedy. did you ever buy a sandwhich at the store and have one of your ***** friends who are always mooching ask you for some and you tell them to go f themselves. is that greedy. did you ever take the last piece of candy and do it in a hurry before your sister or brother could get it. is that greedy. once again define greedy. behaving in a way that looks out for your own self interest is not greed. it is rational behavior. didn't benson keep paying his employees after the hurricane even when there was no where to work. i am not pisitve but i am pretty sure i read some form of an article like that. the man has no stadium and then after the long debate on whether to fix or rebuild next season will be here. again the saints will be a rambling band of fools. noi stadium or place to call home. i am probably not as hurt over this as you guys because i am not from new orleans. i understand your anger for sure. if the tam i loved was leaving the city i lived in i would be pissed off and looking to blame someone. since you can't blame the hurricane or the thousands of dirty ass people that destroyed the super dome you blame the only man that makes sense. the rich one. it has to be his fault. it has to be his greed. the truth is that the san antonio people to me seem ready to sell that joint out to a team that stinks. they seem starved for football. from a buisness stand point it seems to make a lot of sense. they will build the saints their new stadium. you will see. i will stay a fan when they move as long as they fire **** head. i am sorry if you guys don't agree with me but i am right. you guys are pissed off and blaming the only man that you can.

Do you own a company ????

You got that whole right wing employee mindset going here .

Simple thought here : Rita is from San Antonio , she will assume command of the franchise . Benson most likely sees this as an opportunity to have Rita comfortable while she runs the team near friends

I have been seeing this all over .....

Here is a borrowed post from someone who spelled it all out .....

I'm attempting to follow what you are getting at 08. You said seems like they were making it easier to get tickets in SA. Well, tickets in SA are double the price of those in Baton Rouge. You also said you thought only packages were left, but then why did your quote outline individual ticket prices? Lower sideline=best seats in the house. For $89. Individual tickets available. This gut does realize tiger Stadium is not built like the superdome right? Besides what I have heard about the lack of advertising in BR, I don't know how they are making it harder to get tickets. There are $15 freaking dollar tickets left. You can get a lower sideline for $89!!!!!!! Now of course San Antonio went bonzo on advertising, the mayor is trying to steal the team. But I don't see how it's been made any harder to get tickets.

So change the rule. This is obviously a extreme circumstance. I don't see the problem here. Rules were made to be broken when there is a good reason, i.e. repeal of prohibition.

... but on the corporate side of things, there is no good reason for the NFL to break that rule.

I am telling you SW that I have been getting conflicting reports about ticket availability . Some say they are not there then the next day some appear .

Strange stuff going on these days

Borrowed post :

This Really SUXS

Oh, okay, I get what you are saying now 08. From what I read though, a lot of tickets were being held for season ticket holders. I'll post another thread about Baton Rouge ticket sales picking up, cause they have, and it mentions this.

There are also reports of fans not getting tickets in the mail ......

Ideally, Tag would find a way to freeze current ownership of the Saints (or sale with commitment to NO) and play games in San Antonio until the city is back on its feet.

Is this possible?


8)