Gayle Benson’s Public Statement On Her Connection To The Catholic Church (3 Viewers)

[Saint Jack]

In regards to the emails.

https://www.wbrz.com/news/gayle-benson-writes-public-letter-over-ongoing-saints-church-email-saga

 

[Mr. Blue Sky]

I’m one of the posters in the other thread who thought it would be absolutely inexcusable for the Saints organization to have any ties, in any way, to the Archdiocese- especially in relation to the Child Rape scandals... I still feel that way, but i think that this statement is a good, proactive step by Mrs Benson to answer some of the questions that have been swirling.

I hope that the PR ‘help’ was truly as innocuous as she makes it sound.. Time will tell, but please , let it be much ado about nothing.

 

[insidejob]

I doubt she'd have written that after turning over the emails to plaintiff's attorneys if there was anything to hide in them.

 

[SaintJ]

I’m one of the posters in the other thread who thought it would be absolutely inexcusable for the Saints organization to have any ties, in any way, to the Archdiocese- especially in relation to the Child Rape scandals... I still feel that way, but i think that this statement is a good, proactive step by Mrs Benson to answer some of the questions that have been swirling.

I hope that the PR ‘help’ was truly as innocuous as she makes it sound.. Time will tell, but please , let it be much ado about nothing.

Hey, I get it.

But I am little confused about why someone or some entity that wants to be part of the solution should run from it.

What Gayle Benson has described is absolutely what any crisis manager worth his/her/its salt for a real non-profit would say to do -- own everything, be transparent, make amends, establish safeguards, and move on -- which is what (from my distance, anyway) the Archdiocese has done. Hell, it seems like they're doing more than the Boy Scouts.

I give the organization credit for being willing to be involved, as opposed to running and hiding and worrying about PR like so many do. I can't imagine most other organizations doing the same thing for their communities -- maybe the Rooneys in Pittsburgh, or the Mara/Tisch ownership of the Giants -- trying to do the same.

This is a hideous problem, and it's easy to run and hide and let somebody else take care of it. But that's not going to help the innocent victims, or to protect the innocent going forward. The Saints are as involved in the community as any NFL team (and I have a very close-up view of the Eagles, Giants and Jets), and if that means not just doing the easy stuff for PR reasons, good for them. If they decided this was something they needed to do, I have no beef here.

 

[Mr. Blue Sky]

Hey, I get it.

But I am little confused about why someone or some entity that wants to be part of the solution should run from it.

What Gayle Benson has described is absolutely what any crisis manager worth his/her/its salt for a real non-profit would say to do -- own everything, be transparent, make amends, establish safeguards, and move on -- which is what (from my distance, anyway) the Archdiocese has done. Hell, it seems like they're doing more than the Boy Scouts.

I give the organization credit for being willing to be involved, as opposed to running and hiding and worrying about PR like so many do. I can't imagine most other organizations doing the same thing for their communities -- maybe the Rooneys in Pittsburgh, or the Mara/Tisch ownership of the Giants -- trying to do the same.

This is a hideous problem, and it's easy to run and hide and let somebody else take care of it. But that's not going to help the innocent victims, or to protect the innocent going forward. The Saints are as involved in the community as any NFL team (and I have a very close-up view of the Eagles, Giants and Jets), and if that means not just doing the easy stuff for PR reasons, good for them. If they decided this was something they needed to do, I have no beef here.

I guess we’ll have to respectfully disagree.


I want my favorite football team, which at the end of the day is a business, to have nothing to do with politics or religion.. even if that team’s nickname happens to be the ‘Saints’.. As i mentioned in the thread on this subject that someone started here a couple weeks back, i come at this from the perspective of someone who grew up catholic, was an altar boy, the whole nine.. i had friends in grade school who were, let’s just say ‘adversely affected’ (to put it mildly) by priests and enablers in our community.. i was one of the lucky ones who got out unscathed, but i cant even image the horrors my classmates experienced.

So no, i dont think it’s in any way commendable for an NFL team’s PR dept to get mixed up in that quagmire AT ALL.. if nothing else, the optics alone are atrocious... So yeah, you’re a smart guy and a good poster- but i’ll have to disagree with you on this.

 

[Brennan77]

I'm glad they are getting in front of this. And I have no problem with Ms Gayle or anyone in her office being involved if they choose to do so.

One thing we learned from this letter is that she was being prompted to contribute to a victims fund. That might be her way of saying this is a shake down of the Saints.

 

[SaintsFan11]

I’m one of the posters in the other thread who thought it would be absolutely inexcusable for the Saints organization to have any ties, in any way, to the Archdiocese....

Tom and Gayle Benson have been unabashedly Catholic and have unreservedly supported the Archdiocese since the former bought the team. I don't understand your reaction. If their ties to the Archdiocese are "absolutely inexcusable," then you should've picked a different team decades ago.

 

[SaintsFan11]

One thing we learned from this letter is that she was being prompted to contribute to a victims fund. That might be her way of saying this is a shake down of the Saints.

It's certainly plausible to think that attorneys for the individuals suing the Archdiocese seized on the Saints' involvement to generate press and pressure to settle.

If the Saints' involvement was limited to that expressed in Gayle's letter, they should be commended. If not, it'll end badly.

 

[St. PJ]

Statement from Gayle Benson For Immediate Release: February 10, 2020

This past weekend, our organization received an interview request from The Associated Press. The email stated that an article was coming out Tuesday. It stated that we could expect questions that “would include things about the nature of Gayle’s relationship with Aymond and why, no matter how good a friend he is, would she feel compelled to have her pro sports organizations affiliated in any way with the clergy-molestation scandal? And maybe how she views the decision to do so in hindsight?”

I have decided to take this opportunity based on the request from the Associated Press to send out this statement in order to bring clarity to questions about my relationship with the Archdiocese. While I appreciate the opportunity and thank the Associated Press for kindly reaching out to me to appear in this article, we have had subpoenas served to get emails, and calls made for me to pay into a victim’s fund. I have decided to no longer stand idly by while stories are written about our role in this matter and speak to this in my own words. This is a profoundly sad time for the Church, but more so for the victims that live with the daily pain that was inflicted upon them.

Greg Bensel, our senior vice president of communications, was asked if he would help the Archdiocese prepare for the media relative to the release of clergy names involved in the abuse scandal. In the weeks leading up to the Nov. 2, 2018 release of clergy names, Greg met with the Archbishop and communications staff.

Greg informed me that his recommendations were consistent with the Archdiocese which included: be honest, complete and transparent; own the past wrongs and find a solution to correct them and then define those solutions that are in place now to protect victims; be a leader in the Church by being the first Archdiocese in the country to release the full list of names, release all of the names of clergy that have credible evidence against them, regardless of whether they are male/female, dead or alive; and make sure that all law enforcement are given these names prior to the Archdiocese releasing them so they can be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.

Finally, Greg recommended that, with the goal of transparency, the Archbishop would meet with each media member in person, answering any question. No one associated with our organizations made recommendations or had input on the individual names of those disclosed on the list, rather our suggestion was to be completely transparent.

We are proud of the role we played and yes, in hindsight, we would help again to assist the Archdiocese in its ability to publish the list with the hope of taking this step to heal the community. In addition, we already turned over every email to the court and plaintiff attorneys.

Which brings me to my connection to the Church, the Archbishop and making this statement. I remain repulsed by the actions of past clergy in this abuse scandal. I pray for the healing of the victims and I am hopeful this terrible time will provide a path to eradicate this behavior in the Church. That is why we wanted to help. It is time for healing, which was the purpose of our involvement.

My late husband Tom Benson and I have been devout Catholics all of our lives. We met in the Cathedral. I read at the lectern this weekend reflecting on this very issue offering my prayers for healing. We have supported the Catholic Church and this Archdiocese both financially and spiritually for decades, proudly. Neither Tom Benson nor myself, or any of our organizations have ever contributed nor will ever make payments to the Catholic Church to pay settlements or legal awards of any kind, let alone this issue. To suggest that I would offer money to the Catholic Church to pay for anything related to the clergy-molestation issue sickens me.

Our relationship with past Archbishops and the Archdiocese dates back 50-plus years. Our faith is the core foundation from which we live our daily lives. Unifying, helping, and giving back is not something we do when asked; we do it every day. It defined how Tom Benson ran his organizations and how I ardently continue his legacy.

Sadly, there are many in need in our community, and we work very hard to make sure that we help where we can. We get calls and requests seeking help, advice, and money from every sector of our community, no matter the issue, no matter how controversial or mundane, every day. More often than not, we try to help or assist in finding a solution. Are we perfect – of course not, but we sincerely listen, we sincerely care, and we sincerely love. It is who we are. Tom Benson instilled that in our organization. I will always continue his legacy.

In closing, I want to be clear in this statement, that I am not going to be deterred in helping people in need, whether a friend seeking advice or a stranger in need, it does not matter, our list is long. We will always find the best way to unify and heal. That is who we are.

I hope that is not lost on the same people that write such articles when they too come asking for help or support. We do not judge those that need help.

We remain steadfast in our prayers for those affected. We pray for our community and we pray for healing.

Gayle Benson

 

[Zack Lee]

So their smoking gun was that the organization told the archdiocese to be completely transparent. How beautiful if the only thing that can be “revealed” in regards to these emails is in regards to being transparent.

Some body who spent a lot of time writing an AP article just had all the air let out of their tires.

symmetrical beauty

 

[St.Fury]

If what’s in that statement is true,then the Saints absolutely did the right thing. What happened was horrendously sickening, but covering up was even worse. I commend GB for trying to be a voice of reason, in an attempt to get the archdiocese to do what was right by the victims.

 

[SigFreudianSlip]

Plaintiff lawyers dispute assertions made by Gayle Benson in statement

The lawyers representing a man suing the Archdiocese of New Orleans with claims he was sexually assaulted by a former deacon pushed back against a statement from New Orleans Saints owner Gayle Benson over the team's involvement and counsel in the public relations handling of the scandal.

profootballtalk.nbcsports.com

 

[Zack Lee]

Plaintiff lawyers dispute assertions made by Gayle Benson in statement

The lawyers representing a man suing the Archdiocese of New Orleans with claims he was sexually assaulted by a former deacon pushed back against a statement from New Orleans Saints owner Gayle Benson over the team's involvement and counsel in the public relations handling of the scandal.

profootballtalk.nbcsports.com

of course they do. They are not going to give up on collecting damages from another source that easy. But even if being transparent is just the bulk of the advice, they are not likely to gain much ground at this point. We will know soon enough.

 

[insidejob]

of course they do. They are not going to give up on collecting damages from another source that easy. But even if being transparent is just the bulk of the advice, they are not likely to gain much ground at this point. We will know soon enough.

I just can't believe that she doesn't know what was in her own emails like the lawyers statement claims. Maybe Bensel lied to her about his extent in advising the ANO - and if he did, he should be canned immediately - but you'd think that she at least had her own personal lawyers/PR people/staff of whatever it is that billionaires have go through all of the emails they were turning over to the plaintiff's attorneys before doing so. Since I'd think that is the case, she should be pretty aware of what they advised the ANO to do and it seems to be innocuous and exactly what they should have advised given the situation.

 

[Brennan77]

The public maneuvering on this is ugly. My guess is we would have heard none of this if the Saints would have given them money. But it never ends there and that's honestly a huge part of the problem with the disgusting way in which many of these abuse cases have been handled.