Sean Payton opens up about why he left the Saints (merged)
It’s an unpopular opinion, but Gayle is a weak owner and we’ve been dragged ever since Tom was not in control.
As much as I hate it, they might as well move the team. We’ll never even sniff another Super Bowl.
Let’s talk weak -
Tom Benson moved as swiftly as he could in 2005 to secure a tentative deal with San Antonio in an effort to relocate the team in the IMMEDIATE aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.
It was not until then-commissioner Paul Tagliabue stepped in and prevented what would have been an absolutely gutting “business decision”.
Let’s jump the clock ahead to 2012.
Tom Benson essentially sat on his hands while current commissioner Roger Goodell scapegoated his franchise in an effort to take heat off of the league for their woeful treatment of head injuries and long term health problems for ex-players.
Tom sat and let Gooddell make a mockery of his franchise - all because he couldn’t risk upsetting that golden goose that was dropping millions of dollars in his pocket every year in revenue shares.
Tom Benson, for many years was grooming his granddaughter to be the heir/ owner of the franchise. Rita Benson wasn’t fit to own a Jiffy Lube - much less an NFL team. Tom’s succession plan was to leave the team to someone who had zero ties to Louisiana and had countless business dealings in San Antonio and other parts of Texas.
It was Gayle who protected the franchise from Tom’s poor decision. It was Gayle who took a much larger role in the franchise in an effort to protect Tom’s eroding legacy and to protect the fans and the franchise from Rita as Tom’s health faded.
Tom kept the Saints from leaving in 1985 - and for that he will always be an important figure in Saints history - but I will never forget him putting business over humanity in 2005. I forgive - but I refuse to forget.
Gayle has been everything you could ever want in an owner these far. I think the response of former and current players to her and the Saints franchise as a whole speaks volumes about her.