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the Saints away from New Orleans. Consequently, Thompson
believed that the potential departure of the Saints from
Louisiana would cause the City of New Orleans and the State of
Louisiana to propose generous financial assistance in order to
retain the Saints. To this end, Thompson adopted a strategy
designed to exploit the earnings potential of the Superdome. In
its simplest terms, Thompson's plan was to threaten to move or
sell the Saints for relocation unless the City and the State
agreed to provide an interested buyer public sector financial
support in the neighborhood of $20 to $25 million.
Consistent with Thompson's strategy, the Mecom Group held
discussions with various parties interested in acquiring the
Saints and relocating the team to another city. Proposals were
entertained from groups in various cities, including Baltimore,
Maryland; Phoenix, Arizona; and Jacksonville, Florida. Pritzger
and Benson also expressed interest in acquiring the Saints.
Unlike the proposals from Baltimore, Phoenix, and Jacksonville,
however, Pritzger and Benson both were interested in keeping the
Saints in New Orleans. About this time, reports began surfacing
in Louisiana that the Saints might be sold and moved to another
State.
In late 1984, the Mecom Group began negotiating to sell the
Saints to a company controlled by Pritzger. In order to approach
Mecom's asking price of $75 million, Pritzger offered to pay
between $40 and $45 million for the Saints and asked the State to
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