This rumor’s traveling around, and started at a Twitter account owned by a @AmandaSoprano and has been picked up at two message boards. It reports that, on Friday, Saints Owner Tom Benson was spotted at a local, popular restaurant celebrating the news of Payton’s NFL suspension reduction.
But the chance that New Orleans Saints Head Coach Sean Payton’s NFL Suspension is to be reduced is not given any real credibility at this point, but because of the fact that the source lives in New Orleans, and has an established Twitter account, and does not have a track record of tossing out such tweets, and it wound not make any difference to her if the outcome were not so, it’s worth reporting. This is the tweet:
@AmandaSoprano
A friend who works at a fancy restaurant says that Tom Benson was out celebrating a reduction in Payton’s suspension.Not sure if it’s true.
Moreover, Amanda herself qualifies the information rather than allow herself to be married to it.
But another source online, not on Twitter, says that Benson was spotted at a place called ” Mr. John’s Steakhouse.”
Mr. John’s Steakhouse located at 2111 Saint Charles Avenue in New Orleans and does qualify as a “fancy restaurant.” Has Mr. Benson visited the establishment before, and is that officially on record? Yes. On March 16, 2010, Mr. Benson was the recipient of the James J. Coleman Corporate Partners Award at the 25th Crime Stoppers Annual Awards Luncheon.
At present, Sean’s in limbo after a one-year suspension placed by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell after revelations that the Saints were paying a bounty to hit and get certain players out of games. Here’s the video on now-former New Orleans Defensive Coordinator Gregg Williams comments:
Even though Benson was allegedly out and about, it’s not like he was seen in, say, Atlanta, where it’s more likely that someone who cares about the Saints status would tweet out what he was doing on the spot. But, let’s see what the NFL news brings this week.
If it’s not reduced and the Saints have to select a new temporary head coach, many have pointed to Bill Parcells. But the NFL says the Saints must comply with the Rooney Rule and look at minority coaching candidates, first.
Stay tuned.