Goodell: No guarantee Saints will stay in N.O.

New NFL commissioner Roger Goodell was on ESPN's Monday Night Countdown around 4:30 p.m. CST, being interviewed by Chris Mortensen. Mortensen asked the new commish directly whether there were any guarantees that the Saints would stay in New Orleans for five years into the future.

Goodell's response wasn't encouraging. Initially, he said that there are a lot of good things going on, including Reggie Bush, but upon further inquiry by Mortensen, he stated that there were no guarantees for the Saints to stay put, that there are issues in New Orleans market-wise, and that the league would be looking at them over the next couple of years to assess the viability over the future.

No comments were made about season ticket sales (which are a record-shattering 65,000), or about Tom Benson's positive talk at his press conference earlier this week (text in below post). Also, there were no encouraging words about a desire to stay put.

Did I expect a full 100-percent commitment to New Orleans for the next five years? Not necessarily, but for the aforementioned reasons, it was not an encouraging interview and it puts something of a damper on a big season-opening win over Cleveland.

I don't have exact quotes, but will try to get them and post them once I get them.

Developing...

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Email me at saintsdoggle@yahoo.com.