Saints, Louisiana Break Off Talks

Talks to keep the Saints in New Orleans broke off Tuesday, a development that angered the team’s owner and left the future of the franchise in doubt.

Saint owner Tom Benson acknowledged he has had conversations about moving the team to Mississippi if negotiations in Louisiana don’t work out. If all else fails, he said, he will sell the team, possibly to someone who will move it to Los Angeles.

“If we can’t keep it in the Gulf South, then I don’t want no part of it,” Benson said. “I’ll let somebody else buy it and move it to Los Angeles or Toronto, Canada, or someplace else. Not me.”

Benson said he has heard from interested parties in undisclosed locales but has not negotiated with them. Officials in Louisiana have said they can assemble a group to buy the team, if necessary.

Confidential league documents recently obtained by The Times as part of the Raider-NFL trial showed the Saints were the only team to lose money in 1999, the most recent year available.

Earlier this year, the Saints filed notice that the Superdome was in violation of the team’s lease by providing a dingy and depressing atmosphere for games. The team is under contract in the state-owned dome through the 2005 season.

The deal in Mississippi would include a new stadium, training facility and a sports-themed amusement park, with parking and tailgating areas, according to Jack Capella, a lawyer for the state agency that runs the Superdome.