SmashMouth

You’re unlikely to hear many Saints fans complaining about their owner these days. Long the laughingstock of the NFL, Benson’s team won its first Super Bowl in 2009-10, and has reached the playoffs in five of the past eight seasons. Outside of Bill Belichick and Tom Brady, there isn’t a better coach/quarterback combination than Sean Payton and Drew Brees. But if Super Bowl XLIV and Brees/Payton are Benson’s two miracles, there’s one major stumbling block on his path to canonization. Hurricane Katrina was one of the lowest moments in recent American history. It was New Orleans’ darkest hour, one whose reverberations are still being felt today. What did Benson do in Katrina’s immediate aftermath? Leverage his ravaged hometown for stadium money by threatening to move the team San Antonio. In the history of sad, cynical stadium ploys, Benson’s has to be the most sad and cynical. It’s a black eye on what’s otherwise been a remarkable turnaround. Benson is a Crescent City hero today, but there was once a tomorrow 550 miles to the West. It’s a sin not easily forgiven.

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The Dude

Well considering he was seriously and openly courting San Antonio during our cities darkest hour about the only thing he could have done to redeem himself is win a SB. We all hated his guts back then.

ScottF

He's a business owner. He wanted leverage and assurance that he was not going to lose his @ss if NO didn't come back.
We're talking about a billion dollar franchise, not a mom & pop in the quarter; the guy is heavily vested.
Was he right? In know I can't say.
Things look pretty rosy now.

Marlboro Man

First, I don't think Texas would support 3 NFL teams, but what Benson did was really ill advised. First, we had Katrina, then Benson who had the absolute best sweetheart deal with the city, tried to leverage our ravaged city for even more and he got the reaction he deserved. Since then, he has seen what his change of heart has garnered. He has seen first hand what this team really means to our region and our city. The NFL is looking for expansion so if Benson wants to move, go get another team and sell the Saints to someone who wants to be here. I will admit that football is my favorite outdoor sport, but if the Saints were to ever leave, I would never watch another game, but that's just me.

stickman

What bothered me most about the whole San Antonio thing was the way Benson handled it. If he was just preparing an plan B, keeping his options open, fine. But, he started trash talking the city and facilities when he hadn't even been here to know what was going on.

The former GM, Kuharich I think, wrote an article about how Benson was flat out lying to staff and players about the conditions in the area. And I remember him calling the practice facility "unusable" at the same time the commissioner, who actually toured it, called it "first rate".

jeanpierre

Sorry, winning the Superbowl does not make things right...

Understand wanting to protect an investment and an asset; but, even the purchase of the team was financed by taxpayers...

It's the sordid side of professional sports - fans and taxpayers develop the market and demand only to see themselves held hostage by same...

Michigan_SF

Benson bought as the USFL folded. That made the Saints very valuable and the previous owner was more than willing to ship the Saints elsewhere. The US Tax Court provided a very detailed account of Benson's purchase which you can read here Tax Attorney Resources - New Orleans Louisiana Saints, Limited Partnership, Benson Football, Inc. Tax Matters Partner - Page 2 - US Tax Court Opinions

If the Saints were almost shipped off it wasn't Benson who was doing the shipping. It was Benson who kept the Saints in N.O.

Rugby Saint II

Tagliabue wasn't letting the Saints go anywhere. God bless that man. He stopped Benson from moving the team and later he over turned Godhells under handed dealings. Tagliabue was very instrumental in keeping the Saints in New Orleans. And don't forget the number of Superbowls we hosted during his tenure either.

Let's not forget that Benson is a business man first and foremost and wasn't dealing from the heart. No one had any idea how the team and city would bounce back. It may have looked very appealing from a business stand point. I believe he has a lot of other business interests in San Antonio as well.

Benson always ran the team with a used car salesman attitude. He wasn't in it to win he was in it to make money. Now he understands that you can make even more money by winning. The business model has changed and I believe Rita Benson was the catalyst. It is well known that she will inherit the team, but I think she is already much more involved than we know.jmho

TheOak

Some of you are getting caught up in the game...

Louisiana is or was one of the most corrupt political and business environments in the US.. The only reason New Orleans has an NFL team is because of a corrupt Louisiana politician.

Owning a billion dollar franchise in Louisiana is like being the 15lb Bass in the pond, everyone is after your azz. Benson had to play hard ball and sell the idea that is the state didn't give what he needed he would leave. The State bit hard on that bait, and it seems so did the fans.

Benson was no more going to move the Franchise to San Antonio than he was Atlanta... San Antonio cant support an NFL franchise, its Cowboy Country. Especially since it would be the 3rd in the State of Texas.

Benson couldn't move the team with out the League's/Tagliabu's permission and he never had that.

Some how people think a business negotiation involving Ray Nagin and Cathleen Blanco would be above board?

Its all a High School Prom... You see nicely dressed people dancing... What you don't see is that 1/2 are drunk and all of them are tying to screw someone before the night is over..

Crusader

That made me laugh