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Exchanges raise question of whether NFL fined Saints

Has the NFL fined the New Orleans Saints for trying to move shares of the team from Tom Benson’s embattled heirs to his wife, Gayle?

Documents filed in federal court last week as part of the Benson lawsuit against two trustees seeking to block the transfer suggest the team at the very least is eligible under NFL rules for sanction.

The NFL declined to comment. The Saints could not immediately be reached for comment.

Saints general counsel Vicky Neumeyer, during a deposition on April 22, 2015, according to the court filing, was asked by counsel for the trustees, “would [it] be acceptable for the transaction to be deemed effective prior to any necessary League approval?”

Neumeyer responded, “My understanding is that if there are any penalties, it’s something that, again, the NFL hands down, just like they hand down fines to players and nobody ever knows about it. But … the possibility of penalties does not mean that the transaction would not be approved.”

And in an email that NFL Senior Vice President Jay Bauman sent Neumeyer on Jan. 27, 2015, he wrote, “I think I have already been clear on this point (and I think you already know this), but if the transaction is deemed effective prior to any necessary League approvals being obtained, that would be problematic from the League’s perspective (possible penalties, etc.).”

The email was included as an exhibit to excerpts from Neumeyer’s deposition that were filed last week in New Orleans federal court.

The trustees have argued they cannot approve the transfer of assets in part because the NFL and NBA have not approved the transactions. Counsel for the Saints replied in motions last week that the leagues regularly approve transactions of this kind after the fact and are hesitant to get involved now because of the litigation.

— Daniel Kaplan

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