Saints Fire Back After Alleged Claims Of Late Superdome Payments

The Saints were accused of not paying their part for the Superdome renovation projects since December, and issued a team statement on Wednesday afternoon to bring more light to the surface.

Aug 13, 2023; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; View of the field before the game between the New Orleans Saints and the Kansas City Chiefs at the Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports / Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports

The New Orleans Saints were accused of being behind on their Superdome renovation payments, as noted by NOLA.com on Wednesday afternoon. The team was said to be behind since the month of December, owing some $11.5 million to the renovation project. They were also said to have been sent invoices for the past four months and did not supply an explanation for the non-payments.

Naturally, the Saints provided a statement not long after the article that brings more light to the surface.

The New Orleans Saints have been and will continue to be great partners with the LSED and the State of Louisiana. We are proud of our nearly $200 million commitment we have made to the renovation of the Caesars Superdome to make it one of the best, most iconic stadiums in the world. Representatives of the team have, in good faith, been in regular communications and meetings with representatives of the LSED regarding the stadium project and related matters. We have no issue with making the current payment of $11.5 million or, for that matter, the remaining balance.

We have, however, asked for certain documentation over an extended period and we have not received that documentation. Prior to our last payment in December, we requested the documentation, but in good faith we continued to fund. We have been waiting and requesting that documentation since that date and most recently expected it before today's LSED meeting. Yet, another timeline has slipped with no explanation or communication of any kind.

We have reached out to the LSED on numerous occasions, but unfortunately no communications were returned until Tuesday afternoon. When the satisfactory documentation is provided, a payment will immediately be authorized. Unfortunately, it was disappointing to hear the comments coming out of the LSED meeting today that the team is not acting in good faith, when, in fact, we feel the opposite is true.

We are hopeful that this matter can be resolved expeditiously as any delay would be very unfortunate for all parties [and for the City].

New Orleans hosts Super Bowl LIX this year, and of course we shouldn't overlook the first game to be played there, which will be at the end of August when the Saints host the Titans for the preseason finale on Sunday, Aug. 25 at 1 p.m. CT.