• The New Orleans Saints played a significant role in helping the Catholic Church manage public relations during the clergy sex abuse scandal.
• Internal emails show Saints executives collaborated closely with church leaders to navigate a media tempest regarding the release of a list of accused clergy.
• The outreach involved drafting responses, campaign strategies, and updates on interviews concerning the crisis.

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — In an unprecedented intersection of sports and scandal management, internal emails reveal that the New Orleans Saints collaborated extensively with the Archdiocese of New Orleans in orchestrating a public relations blitz in the face of the clergy sexual abuse crisis that rocked the city's Catholic community. As church leaders prepared to release a list of credibly accused priests, they drew upon the expertise of officials from the NFL franchise to help shape their response to inevitable backlash. The multitude of emails, obtained by AP News, makes it clear that the Saints' involvement was far more extensive than the team had previously acknowledged.

The crisis communications effort was helmed by Saints president Dennis Lauscha and senior vice president Greg Bensel, who provided strategic updates and devised tailored messaging for Church leaders under the guidance of the team's devoutly Catholic owner, Gayle Benson, a friend of Archbishop Gregory Aymond. The communications played a crucial role as the Archdiocese sought to mitigate the fallout from the church's long-overdue acknowledgment of its handling of abuse cases, which had drawn scrutiny from local and national media.

Central to this alliance was a coordinated strategy that involved proactively managing interviews and press coverage. Saints executives made significant contributions to the church’s messaging framework, including drafting over a dozen questions Archbishop Aymond was expected to answer during press conferences. Bensel also provided real-time updates on the success and challenges of local media interactions, effectively presenting a unified stance between the archdiocese and the Saints organization.

One particularly contentious revelation from the emails was the Saints' role in influencing the list of accused clerics, with a spokesman's report suggesting that discussions with city prosecutor Leon Cannizzaro helped “take certain people off” the list before it was publicly released. This claim has been firmly denied by both the Saints and Cannizzaro, further complicating the narrative and raising questions about the integrity of the publicly disclosed list.

The Saints have been criticized for their actions, prompting strong reactions from both survivors of clergy abuse and state officials. "This is disgusting," asserted state Rep. Mandie Landry, expressing disbelief that the Saints would mitigate the fallout for individuals accused of grave misconduct. Survivors have echoed this sentiment, with one former season ticket holder expressing feelings of betrayal and concern over undisclosed secrets.

The team's defense of its collaboration has emphasized a commitment to transparency, asserting, "No member of the Saints organization condones or wants to cover up the abuse that occurred in the Archdiocese of New Orleans." However, the unearthed emails complicate this narrative, painting a picture of a team that not only involved itself deeply in crisis management but also sought to maintain favorable public relations with the local media amidst calls for accountability.

This collaboration raises serious ethical questions about the alignment of a professional sports franchise with a deeply flawed institutional framework associated with years of abuse and cover-ups. As the fallout continues, the implications for both the Saints and the Archdiocese may lead to heightened scrutiny from authorities and ongoing demand for accountability from survivors and community members.

For more details, visit New York Times or The Guardian.