Tag: latoya cantrell

New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell comments on Saints-Russell Wilson rumors

New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell gave her blessing on a potential trade between the Saints and the Seattle Seahawks for QB Russell Wilson.

[jwplayer reuwLzUv-ThvAeFxT]

If the New Orleans Saints are able to pull off a blockbuster trade for Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson, Mayor LaToya Cantrell wants it known that Wilson and his wife Ciara would be welcomed to the city with open arms.

Cantrell commented on the speculation surrounding a Saints-Seahawks trade on Saturday evening — fueled by several recent reports that the Saints are on Wilson’s shortlist of teams which he’d waive his no-trade clause to join. Word is frustrations have grown over the years between Wilson and Seattle head coach Pete Carroll, which could put the 8-time Pro Bowl quarterback on the move.

“We not only admire you, we want you,” Cantrell said in a video shared from her official Twitter account, twirling a black and gold umbrella while wearing matching Mardi Gras beads. “The culture of the city of New Orleans awaits you.”

The mayor added that she knows Wilson would be a package deal, along with his five-time Grammy Award nominee wife Ciara, who Cantrell envisioned headlining the annual Essence Festival. Both of them would be a great fit in New Orleans, if a deal were to go through.

But it’s too soon to do more than speculate. Wilson has not requested a trade, though he’s curiously specified the teams he’d sign off on moving to. The Seahawks have every incentive to keep him in Seattle for the rest of his career. Odds are the Saints will continue marching towards the offseason as they have been, expecting a training camp battle between Taysom Hill and Jameis Winston (if he re-signs) once Drew Brees has made his retirement official.

Then again — isn’t it fun to dream a little?

[listicle id=43391]

Roger Goodell, Saints seeking permission to host fans for Week 5 Chargers game

The New Orleans Saints and NFL commissioner Roger Goodell are seeking to host more than 17,000 fans at the Superdome against the Chargers.

[jwplayer zUPDJZYG-ThvAeFxT]

The New Orleans Saints sent a letter to season-ticket holders on Friday informing them of potential changes for Week 5’s game on “Monday Night Football” with the Los Angeles Chargers. With the city moving into Phase 3 of its COVID-19 reopening plan, the Saints filed a formal request with New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell to host fans at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on Oct. 12.

Even NFL commissioner Roger Goodell got involved, emailing Cantrell’s office. His message was referenced in the Saints’ letter, which said:

Roger Goodell emailed the mayor requesting that she allow the fans to attend Saints games, the NFL will have half the teams hosting fans and right now, New Orleans has one of the lowest positivity rates of any NFL city. Goodell was positive to the mayor that we could pull this off safely.

Goodell’s relationship with Saints fans is infamously frosty; not just for his weak response to the 2018 NFC championship game no-call, but for lingering resentment over the 2012 Bountygate debacle. Cantrell made light of his role here, joking in a press conference that she was, “Still a little salty about the flag on the play. I wish he would have said how great he loved the Saints two years ago.”

But back to the Saints’ proposal: they expressed confidence after testing their COVID-19 health and safety procedures during Week 3’s prime-time game with the Green Bay Packers, when 750 family members of Saints players, coaches, and staffers were hosted at the Superdome. Now they want to reach as high as 25% of the Superdome’s maximum occupancy, or about 17,500 fans.

Other NFL venues are beginning to welcome crowds of even larger sizes. Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has boasted that 25,000 fans will crowd AT&T Stadium at their next home game. While it’s still a far cry from the usually-packed arenas you’ll see around the league, it is a step towards that direction.

[vertical-gallery id=38478]

Saints take big step towards hosting fans for home games, starting vs. Packers

The New Orleans Saints received approval from the Louisiana state government to host fans at their Week 3 home game, but the city must agree

[jwplayer 9xVqVPyF-ThvAeFxT]

It’s too soon to make any travel plans, and there is still more progress to be made, but things are trending in the right direction for New Orleans Saints fans to take their seats in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.

On Tuesday, the Saints informed season ticket holders in an email that Louisiana state officials have given them the green light to host fans, beginning with a Sept. 27 home game with the Green Bay Packers. But that’s only one rubber stamp the Saints must secure to open their doors. They’re waiting on approval from the New Orleans municipal government, and that hurdle hasn’t been cleared yet.

Louisiana was an early hotspot for infections during the COVID-19 pandemic, though New Orleans itself has consistently turned in lower rates of positive test results throughout the public health crisis. While Mayor LaToya Cantrell likes what she’s seen of the Superdome’s plans to host fans for Saints game days, things haven’t settled down enough just yet for her to sign off on it.

Previously, Cantrell had said that she would agree to hold games without fans in attendance if that lined up with NFL policy and the advice of medical professionals. For its part, the NFL is allowing teams to handle things on a case-by-case basis without a blanket policy, trusting local governments to handle it.

So we’ll have to wait and see if Saints fans will be in the building once the black and gold kicks off. Right now, the Saints are scheduled to play three of their four games without fans: Week 1 at home with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and Weeks 2 and 4 against the Las Vegas Raiders and Detroit Lions. The Saints round out their first five weeks in home games with the Packers and Los Angeles Chargers, and it’s possible they could play all five games before their Week 6 bye without fans in attendance.

[vertical-gallery id=37385]

New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell supports playing 2020 Saints games without fans

New Orleans mayor LaToya Cantrell suggested the NFL should play its 2020 games without fans in attendance, including the hometown Saints.

[jwplayer QhTqdpg2-ThvAeFxT]

The novel coronavirus has hit the United States hard, with Louisiana and the greater Gulf South in particular struggling to deal with the pandemic. That includes New Orleans, the home of the Saints; in a recent interview with CNN’s Wolf Blitzer, Mayor LaToya Cantrell outlined the difficulties her city has dealt with so far and discussed the new challenges still on the horizon.

“Let me tell you, 30% of our workforce in the city is tied to our hospitality and tourism industry,” Cantrell said. “The city of New Orleans right now is looking at a $150 million deficit with about $126 million tied to sales tax, which is absolutely because of our industry … I don’t see how a city will be able to operate in terms of basic city services, let alone host large-scale festivals.”

With travel restrictions and stay-at-home orders in place across the country, dollars that would normally pour into New Orleans from the millions of annual visitors have dried up. Landmark music festivals like Jazz Fest, Essence Fest, and Voodoo Fest have each canceled their 2020 events, and the 100-plus smaller festivals that fill the city calendar are also expected to diminish.

While the NFL is at work in determining when and how to safely conduct its 2020 season, precautions in the wake of the coronavirus are also expected to change how games themselves are played. It’s not as simple as putting 22 players on the field — each side’s 53-man roster is supplemented by coaching staffs, gameday operations personnel, and team medical trainers who might otherwise be working in hospitals or clinics.

And that’s something weighing on Cantrell’s mind. When asked whether her hometown Saints could be expected to play games in 2020, she deferred to the league’s judgment, acknowledging the difficulties in organizing even a bare-bones game: “I know that the NFL is working very hard to determine methods of re-engagement, like no fans present. I think that is the best way to go, but I know they’re working very hard as it relates to not only the players but the staff that is required to even host a sporting event.”

The NFL is expected to release its 2020 schedule no later than May 9. For the curious, the Saints are set to host visitors including the reigning Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs and NFC title contenders like the Green Bay Packers, San Francisco 49ers, and Minnesota Vikings, as well as Tom Brady’s refurbished Tampa Bay Buccaneers (along with the other, lesser NFC South teams).

A Saints season without fans crowding the Mercedes-Benz Superdome would be tough to accept, especially in what might be the final year of Drew Brees’ playing career; he has already made retirement plans to join NBC Sports once he’s hung up his cleats. But that might be the way to go with the public health and safety in mind.

[vertical-gallery id=26010]