Earlier today, it was reported that the New Orleans Saints were being investigated for their alleged role in helping the Catholic Church clean up recent reports of sexual abuse amongst members of the New Orleans clergy. Owner Gayle Benson is a devout Catholic and it was discovered that team executives were allegedly giving the church public relations advice in relation to the sexual abuse allegations.
As of right now, the Saints are trying to keep any e-mails between themselves and the church, private. This could prove to be a tall task as some feel like the e-mails are of the public interest. In a statement on their team website, the Saints cleared up some misconceptions and even condemned the church for their role in any alleged sexual abuse.
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Per Saints:
"While there is current litigation relative to the New Orleans Archdiocese and clergy sex abuse, our comments are limited only to the scope of our involvement. The New Orleans Saints organization has always had a very strong relationship with the Archdiocese. The Archdiocese reached out to a number of community and civic minded leaders seeking counsel on handling the pending media attention that would come with the release of the clergy names in November of 2018. Greg Bensel, Senior Vice President of Communications for the New Orleans Saints, was contacted and offered input on how to work with the media. The advice was simple and never wavering. Be direct, open and fully transparent, while making sure that all law enforcement agencies were alerted. The New Orleans Saints, Greg Bensel and Mrs. Gayle Benson were and remain offended, disappointed and repulsed by the actions of certain past clergy. We remain steadfast in support of the victims who have suffered and pray for their continued healing."
In the coming weeks, a judge will rule on whether or not the e-mails will be released. In the meantime, stay tuned as we will be sure to bring you updates on this developing story.