saintz08

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/

saintswhodi

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.

TallySaint

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)

saintswhodi

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.

TheDeuce

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

spkb25

he has every right

TheDeuce

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....

saintz08

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

stockman311

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!

CheramieIII

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?

Golf and sex are about the only things you can enjoy without being good at them.
Jimmy Demaret