hagan714

Saints | Blanco optimistic team will stay in New Orleans
Tue, 13 Feb 2007 08:02:14 -0800

Ed Anderson, of the New Orleans Times-Picayune, reports Louisiana Governor Kathleen Blanco remains optimistic on keeping the New Orleans Saints in the State of Louisiana in the future. "Our people are in talks," Blanco said. "I think we are going to get a consensus (for the Saints) to stay at least through 2010," the year the existing contract tying the Saints to the Superdome expires. That contract allows the Saints to opt out of the deal by March 31, but the team would have to repay about $70 million the state has provided for a practice facility and annual inducements to the team.
http://www.kffl.com/hotw/nfl


Blanco has faith the Saints will stay
New contract talks in play soon, she says
Tuesday, February 13, 2007
By Ed Anderson
BATON ROUGE -- Gov. Kathleen Blanco said Monday that her aides have been in touch with New Orleans Saints officials about resuming negotiations on a new contract to keep the National Football League team in Louisiana.

"Our people are in talks," Blanco said, declining to elaborate. "I think we are going to get a consensus (for the Saints) to stay at least through 2010," the year the existing contract tying the Saints to the Superdome expires. That contract allows the Saints to opt out of the deal by March 31, but the team would have to repay about $70 million the state has provided for a practice facility and annual inducements to the team.

Blanco said she is optimistic the Saints will not cancel the contract next month.

"We are hoping that they don't," Blanco said. "I feel like discussions are leading them to staying until at least 2010."

Saints officials declined to comment on the talks. Spokesman Greg Bensel said the team will not have anything to say "until there is something to report; right now, there is nothing to report."

Tim Coulon, the Blanco-appointed chairman of the Superdome Commission, deferred comment to the governor. Blanco met with reporters after giving the Louisiana Recovery Authority an update on her recent trip to Washington, D.C., to seek more federal aid for hurricane recovery.

Blanco said the repairs to the Superdome after Hurricane Katrina -- including a new roof and improvements to seating areas, scoreboards and lighting -- has made the stadium "adequate" for the team for the foreseeable future.

Blanco did not address the prospects for a new stadium, which the Saints had pushed before Katrina. In the past Blanco has opposed building a new stadium. On Monday she said she would be willing to discuss using some state money to help finance some amenities near the Superdome, such as making space available for retail shops or a tailgating park.

She said such additions near the Dome "would be the next level of comfort" for football fans. "I am open to that kind of discussion, but I don't know what kind of obligation they would be looking for from us," Blanco said.

Blanco would not say how much the state would be willing to commit.

"We are not going to enhance the money" in the existing 10-year, $186.5 million contract, which includes annual cash payments to the team and construction of a $6.7 million practice facility.

The existing contact was reached between Saints owner Tom Benson and then-Gov. Mike Foster in 2001. Blanco has criticized it as too generous.

The state has the right to cancel the contract after the 2007 season or by March 2008. The state is on the hook for $20 million after the next football season and $23.5 million after each of the next three years.
http://www.nola.com/saints/t-p/index...xml&coll=1

SaintPauly

Thank you Hagan. I was just asking about this a few weeks ago. I wish there was some way to build a new stadium for the team, and in the back of my mind, I felt that IF the Saints had won the SB this past season, then it might have been a done deal. I also feel, that if the Saints get into the play offs, at least, in the next few seasons, then that would go far to helping the cause, as well.

CheramieIII

The Saints are going bowling next year. This is a buildup like no other, we have waited 40 years to get to the NFC championship what's one more year to get to the Superbowl.

Saints91

It seems like yesterday we were in discussions about trying to keep the saints in LA but it was 01'. I hope they get this figured out because we're too close.

TheDeuce

Talking about the stadium situation...

For the Sugar Bowl, I went to the Super Dome for the first time since I was in diapers. First of all it was an amazing experience being in that city and seeing where my beloved Saints play. I was in awe of how big it was, and I walked around the entire thing before the game just so I could soak it all up.

Ok but anyways, about the situation, DAAAAAANNNNGGGG it looked good. I know it's old, but it looked brand new. The new screens were awesome, and I wasn't aware of how awesome the roof truly is. The whole damn stadium is just gigantic. I sat on the first row of the upper deck, and I'm not afraid of heights, but I got vertigo looking all the way down. I was very impressed with how clean and pristine everything looked. I mean of course a new stadium is always good, but with so many other issues in New Orleans, and how good of condition the Dome is in, I don't really see it as a pressing need.

SaintPauly

Owners, to me, act just like kids on the playground. If one kid comes out with a GI Joe with kung fu grip, then the other kids have to get the one with the removable gunners helmet. Each stadium you see, basically represents the manhood, of the owner, and the team. Jerry Jones is upping the antie on everyone, with this billion dollar monstrosity. Other owners will see it, and wonder why they don't have one too. State of the Art, is the words they use, and I think that Benson feels that the Superdome is outdated. Which in alot of ways, it is, compared to say the new stadium the Texans just built. "Gotta keep up with the Jones'". Who would have known that saying was penned after Jerry? Go figure.

What's popular is not always right, and what's right is not always popular.....

hagan714

I saw this coming a long time ago. Once again the City of New Orleans has screwed up. no for-sight. Now the State and local offical are going to say the were blind sided by this. All NFL teams are like horses and return to the money troff drink regularly.

The storm has been offical down grade to cat 3 by the US goverment which we all know is bull. The only reason this was done was a Release of Libility Waiver by the goverment. This allows the State to go to the goverment's money troff. major civil engineering project are just the tip of the iceburg. Projects like new prisons, upgrading the legal system is part of it as well as schools, teachers and so on. Ok I am getting carried away with saving the city...

This should get a person to wonder if a cat 3 caused that much damage to the building just imagine a cat 5 and the number of dead that would have been inside. At that time when a they could of had the superdome declared as an insufficient evacuation site, they blow it an rebuild it. Sure it would have been a fight but look at us now. But the state wanted the money NOW. The way the state is going after the money and how they want to spend it is once again the head up the butt approach.

Yes the dome needed to be patched up to keep the saints I agree. But with a little forsight the state could have had money from the goverment issued to buy a site that would house a mass evacution cat 5 shelter. Land could already be bought and planners designing such a building. A site that the US goverment could find this time, alone the river. That could have been the new stadium for the saints. Sure the goverment would not pay for the whole thing but at least it would be in the starting stages. With money waiting in the wings to get it all started. You would need an outside watch dog group to over see it because we all know the state and the city would screw it up.

But hey I am talking about New Orleans. Politics is a form of self employment serving ones self not the general public. I hoped for a change after the storm only to see the same type of sewer rats run for office and win. Politics as usual in the City and State. Maybe my brother in-law was right in saying the new area of growth for the State is between the North Shore and Baton Rouge. The City of New Orleans is going to fade away to nothing more than a tourist city.

BooBirdSaint

Does anyone who lives in Louisiana or New Orleans have any confidence or trust with anything the Blanco administatrion says??? Politics aside... If you do I have some property in the lower 9th ward I'd like to sell you! Sure she gonna ride the Saints sucess b/c thats what she does, Spin Dr (Did you to expect her to say sorry the Saints can't stay...). If she thought that Benson was hard to negoiate with before then just wait til now. Benson is gonna want 2 things that he knows Blanco can't deliver... A new stadium and cash. He might as well ask for the second coming of Jesus Christ for as much chance as Blanco has of delivering anything! What does the State have to offer now that they didn't have before Katrina (FEMA funds)??? I'm a Saints fan and I grew up on the Gulf Coast (Mobile, AL) and I want the Saints to stay but lets face it things were down right grim for the Saints before Katrina. But now after the storm and feel good season I just can't see how Benson will stay much longer. Lets face it for those of us with family and friends in N.O. we know the truth in that the City is really struggling. Companies that were there after the storm are leaving b/c its just too hard. Corporate sponsership is the lifeblood of an NFL team. Benson is not stupid and you aways sell when the news is good. If I were in a death pool the Saints would be number 2 right behind Ann Nicole Smith, er make that number one...