As New Orleans church leaders braced for the fallout from publishing a list of predatory Catholic priests, they turned to an unlikely ally: the front office of the city’s NFL franchise. What followed was a months-long,

Newly disclosed internal emails reveal that the New Orleans Saints played a far more extensive role than previously acknowledged in assisting the Archdiocese of New Orleans with its public relations strategy during the Catholic Church's clergy sex abuse crisis.

Email records detail the efforts made by Saints team officials to assist New Orleans church leaders handle the fallout from a sexual abuse crisis within the archdiocese.

Hundreds of internal emails show executives of the New Orleans Saints were far more involved than previously known in providing public relations help to Catholic church leaders as they confronted a cl

A trove of emails shows the team’s leadership using their influence in New Orleans to aid the archdiocese, including writing talking points for media interviews.

The New Orleans Saints are accused of playing a more extensive role in a sexual abuse scandal against Catholic priests than previously known.

Gayle Benson owns both the New Orleans Saints and New Orleans Pelicans. She inherited the teams after her husband, Tom Benson, died in 2018. Her tenures have not been filled with success but a recent report puts sports issues far out of the purview.