Mayor of New Orleans Essentially Holding Saints Hostage

The Saints will host the Green Bay Packers on September 27th. The Governor has given the green light to having fans in attendance. The Mayor says, "Not so fast".

This is one development that I certainly did not see coming. Sure, I imagined a world where mayors of cities would disagree with the State's Governor on certain things related to the pandemic, but all of those hypothetical disagreements would be due to the public's health. For instance, if the Governor gave the green light to large gatherings, just an example, I could see where mayors of some cities may step in and set local restrictions depending on how COVID-19 has/is affecting their area.

I never imagined a scenario where a Mayor would clash with the Governor on COVID-19 restrictions and not due to health concerns of their citizens. That is exactly what is happening right now in New Orleans.

The Saints will kick off their 2020-2021 season against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on September 13th. That game will be played in the Superdome with no fans in attendance. There's no controversy to see here as that has been official for several weeks now.

However, the topic at hand surrounds the Saints' second home game, against the Green Bay Packers, on September 27th. John Bel Edwards has already approved fans in the stands for this home game. Today, New Orleans' Mayor LaToya Cantrell says she will not allow fans to be in attendance for that game, and cites a specific reason that has a lot of people upset.

No, it has nothing to do with health concerns for the fans and players. Instead, it has everything to do with money.

During a press conference, Mayor Cantrell says fans will not be permitted into the Superdome because the city of New Orleans never received their "fair share" of relief from the COVID-19 Cares Act.

Yes, you read that correctly. The Mayor of New Orleans is essentially holding the Saints hostage until she feels like New Orleans receives its "fair share" of COVID relief cash.

You can find the clip below.