This might help explain: Since the first playoff victory in the 2000 season, Benson has repeatedly threatened to move the team and tried to negotiate for better financial deals with the state. He is the only NFL owner who gets a straight payment from a governmental body to operate as the state of Louisiana has been paying between $12 and $15 million a year since 2001 in a $186 million deal through 2010. After Katrina hit, Benson quickly re-located his team in San Antonio, where he has often threatened to move it permanently. "He's sent repeated love notes to the San Antonio mayor and has had love talk with him about moving the team there," Dixon said. "It's obvious he wants to move the team to San Antonio now. He's showing a complete lack of class and an appalling lack of public relations sense." San Antonio mayor Phil Hardberger said recently that Benson has agreed to have more serious talks with him after the season about forming the San Antonio Saints. "I'm pretty comfortable in saying he wants to be here," Hardberger said in published reports two weeks ago.
Gives me the impression NO really can't support the Saints without help. Remains to be seen whether or not San Antonio can. We're willing to renovate the Alamodome to give him more luxury boxes, more seating, and plenty of financial inducements, but what Tom Benson won't be getting is a new taxpayer-funded sports stadium.
Yeah Benson is going to have to live with a renovated superdome. There is a lot of discussion here about why he asking the State for money. He has not really been good about opening up his books that has casued alot of us to wonder if his financial situation is all that bad.