The New Orleans Saints maintain their public relations work on the area’s Roman Catholic sexual abuse crisis was “minimal.”But attorneys suing the church allege hundreds of confidential Saints emails show the team actively helping decide “which names should or should not” be included in the archdiocese's list of credibly accused clergy, The Associated Press reported.That list has become a key point in the controversy surrounding the team since news of the Saints emails broke last week. An AP analysis of the list of 57 credibly accused clergy found it underestimated the actual number by at least 20.The news comes nearly a week after it was revealed that attorneys for the Saints are trying to keep the public from seeing hundreds of emails that allegedly show team executives doing public relations damage control in the abuse crisis.Attorneys for about two dozen men suing the church said in court filings that the 276 documents they obtained through discovery show that the NFL team, whose owner, Gayle Benson, is devoutly Catholic, aided the Archdiocese of New Orleans in its “pattern and practice of concealing its crimes.”The archdiocese is also fighting the release of the emails.Ties between local church leaders and the Saints include a close friendship between New Orleans Archbishop Gregory Aymond and Gayle Benson, who inherited the Saints and the New Orleans Pelicans basketball team when her husband, Tom Benson, died in 2018.Saints officials have not commented on the latest revelations.

The New Orleans Saints maintain their public relations work on the area’s Roman Catholic sexual abuse crisis was “minimal.”

But attorneys suing the church allege hundreds of confidential Saints emails show the team actively helping decide “which names should or should not” be included in the archdiocese's list of credibly accused clergy, The Associated Press reported.


That list has become a key point in the controversy surrounding the team since news of the Saints emails broke last week. An AP analysis of the list of 57 credibly accused clergy found it underestimated the actual number by at least 20.

The news comes nearly a week after it was revealed that attorneys for the Saints are trying to keep the public from seeing hundreds of emails that allegedly show team executives doing public relations damage control in the abuse crisis.

Attorneys for about two dozen men suing the church said in court filings that the 276 documents they obtained through discovery show that the NFL team, whose owner, Gayle Benson, is devoutly Catholic, aided the Archdiocese of New Orleans in its “pattern and practice of concealing its crimes.”

The archdiocese is also fighting the release of the emails.

Ties between local church leaders and the Saints include a close friendship between New Orleans Archbishop Gregory Aymond and Gayle Benson, who inherited the Saints and the New Orleans Pelicans basketball team when her husband, Tom Benson, died in 2018.

Saints officials have not commented on the latest revelations.