Tom Benson's ex-assistant, Saints fail to reach settlement on racial discrimination
The New Orleans Saints and owner Tom Benson's former assistant, Rodney Henry, failed to reach a settlement over Henry's allegations that he faced racial discrimination and is owed back pay, according to Katherine Sayre of The Times-Picayune.
Henry and lawyers for the Saints met with U.S. Magistrate Judge Joseph Wilkinson, but no agreement was reached. Benson and his wife, Gayle Benson, did not attend the proceedings, although both were named in Henry's lawsuit.
It remains unclear whether the case will be heard in federal court or by commissioner Roger Goodell. The Saints are lobbying for Goodell to hear the case in arbitration, but attorneys for the club denied further comment.
"We feel very confident about Mr. Henry's claims, and we look forward to the opportunity to present them in court," Henry's attorney, Christopher Williams said.
Henry alleged that Gayle directed a series of racially offensive comments toward him, harassed him at work, and was operative to his firing by the club after working under Tom for 25 years.
"I hate that black son of a bitch and am going to get rid of him," Gayle allegedly said, according to Henry's lawsuit.
Both Tom and Gayle denied the accusations of racially abusing Henry.
Henry demanded that he is owed back pay after running errands for the Bensons, while driving them back and forth from games.
Tom also owns the NBA's New Orleans Pelicans.
The 88-year-old is embroiled in another high-profile controversial lawsuit related to the heirship of the Saints and Pelicans. Tom was sued by his adopted daughter, Renee Benson LeBlanc, and her adult children when they were cut out of his will, and future ownership of the two clubs were transferred to Gayle, as opposed to LeBlanc.
LeBlanc and her children tried to get a judge to deem Tom "mentally incompetent" to make the ownership transferal, but the motion was denied. As a result, LeBlanc's party is appealing the ruling to the Louisiana Supreme Court.