BATON ROUGE, La. -- New Orleans Saints owner Tom Benson swatted at a New Orleans television station's camera on Sunday and got into an argument with a fan.
The WWL-TV camera crew said Benson lunged at them when they filmed him leaving the Saints game and that the owner then got into a shouting match with a fan. Video of the confrontation shows Benson bringing a raised hand down on the top of the camera before he is eased away from the camera crew, which continued filming.
Benson could not be reached for comment and Saints officials did not immediately return a call seeking comment.
The team owner is going through a very rough patch with fans and Louisiana officials. The anger toward Benson stems from talks he apparently had with the San Antonio mayor about relocating the team to San Antonio.
The Saints are under contract to play at the Louisiana Superdome through 2010, but certain provisions allow them to opt out before a Nov. 29 deadline.
The Saints played their first game this season in Louisiana on Sunday, at LSU's stadium in Baton Rouge, and the home team lost 21-6 to the Miami Dolphins.
On Sunday, NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue met with Benson, Gov. Kathleen Blanco and other officials. Tagliabue said he wanted to keep the team in New Orleans.