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Saints to move?
By Robert Travis Scott
Capital bureau

New Orleans Saints owner Tom Benson is leaning strongly toward moving the Saints permanently to San Antonio following the devastation to the city and the Superdome by Hurricane Katrina, a state senator who has spoken with a top team official said Saturday.

Sen. Mike Michot, R-Lafayette, said he spoke with Saints’ chief of administration Arnold Fielkow by phone Friday morning about Benson’s potential plans.

Team officials could not be reached Saturday. The team had previously announced it was looking for a new home for the current season, and San Antonio was one of the options.

Michot said he was told that Benson has not made a final decision, but the owner is serious about moving once and for all to San Antonio. “We may lose them permanently,� Michot said.

A possible move by the team is a “huge concern� among a few state officials who have become aware of it, but every significant political figure in the state is preoccupied with reacting to the storm aftermath.

State officials want to convince Benson to delay a decision so that the state can focus on the rescue and rehabilitation effort and later find a way to keep the Saints at home in New Orleans.

“This is like pouring salt into the wound,� Michot said.

Michot said decency dictates that Benson should postpone any decision on a permanent move until state officials have had a chance to talk with him.
“Give us time,� Michot said.
Another state official confirmed a similar conversation with Fielkow.

Michot is the vice-chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee, a key committee for legislation related to state agreement with the Saints.
He said that in the long run the Saints might be better off staying in New Orleans because a revived city with national support could provide a better stadium.

http://www.nola.com/newslogs/breakingtp/

TallySaint

Ok.


Ok.


Ok.


Yep.


Chicken Little.




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TallySaint

Not so sure about that. But, yes, business is business. It's unfortunate Benson was beatin' heads with the state when Katrina wailed. The home for the Saints is in New Orleans, we all know that. I just hope and pray things will be worked out and we get our team back.


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yasoon

I would hope that any one with the Saints would have the class to not put it out there that the team is ditching a city in the state that NO is in. Yes, business is business, but you don't break up with a girl at her dad's funeral.

We will learn alot about Tom by the way he handles himself over the next several months. I would hope that the NFL sees that the Saints get considerable revenue from any road "home" game. They have alot of power and alot of bucks and they could potentially help keep the Saints in LA.

Pasquerelli said yesterday that he thought the NFL should just award the 2010 Superbowl to NO as an act of faith. He tends to be one of the more sober and logical analysts out there. He was very supportive of the Saints and the city.

I spent the last couple of nights helping a friend clean up his flooded house in Pascagoula. I felt kinda guilty heading back to my comfy home in Georgia.

I can't imagine what some of you guys are going through. I saw the eastern part of the damage and apparently Biloxi is worse than Goula.

I really hope eveybody is doing OK.

As for the Saints.....they seem like a trivial issue right now. But...the people of LA have always escaped through the Saints and I think they need them. I hope Tom takes this as a chance to embrace this community and give the people who have filled his pockets some hope. I'm not saying the dude should take a bath, but people with his financial means can really make a differnce at times like these. (Not that there have ever been times like these for the people of NO.)

CheramieIII

All of the talk of the Saint's leaving New Orleans needs to stop now. Do you think it is bad enough for the citizens of New Orleans to know they don't have a home to come back too, but also not being able to indentify themselves with the Saint's anymore.

You guys need to stop posting this **** or move it to another site. Yes, I am a sunshiner and that's all we need here right now.

TallySaint

Apologies if we ruffled a few feathers, C. All aspects of this disaster are near and dear to our hearts. That includes the Saints future. Our team.

Please forgive us of those that have Saints comments on this Saints football forum.

Take care.


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