Saints Respond to Leaked Emails Maximizing Crisis Management for Archdiocese

The New Orleans Saints have been implicated in providing strategic public relations support to the Archdiocese of New Orleans amid a clergy sexual abuse crisis, as revealed by leaked emails. These emails indicate that high-ranking Saints officials, including President Dennis Lauscha and VP of Communications Greg Bensel, played a significant role in advising the Archdiocese on media relations and crisis management in 2018 (Fox8live, ESPN). The Saints, however, deny influencing the list of credibly accused priests and criticize the media for misconstruing their intentions (Fox8live). The emails were leaked in violation of a court order that had previously kept them private, and speculation about the leaker's identity persists (NBC Sports). The Saints claim they aimed to maintain transparency and did not condone covering up abuse, with team owner Gayle Benson emphasizing their limited advisory role (Fox8live, The Guardian). This controversy emerges as New Orleans prepares to host the Super Bowl, drawing further media attention (NBC Sports).