Saints Owner Benson and NFL Commissioner Goodell Lunch With Macron at the Élysée; Sunday's Paris Game Remains On
PARIS, France — Gayle Benson, owner of the New Orleans Saints of Orleans Parish, Louisiana, joined NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and Pittsburgh Steelers owner Art Rooney II for a luncheon meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron at the Élysée Palace on Friday, October 23, NOLA.com and Fox News reported. The roughly two-hour meeting covered security and venue readiness for Sunday's game at the Stade de France — the NFL's first regular-season game in France, between the Saints and the Steelers — and the growth of flag football in France.
Saints executive Greg Bensel said Macron was exceptionally engaged throughout, showing a strong personal interest in the NFL, the two teams and the league's international strategy, and gave assurances on security.
The meeting came as protests in Paris intensified over the weekend: Paris Saint-Germain's Sunday Ligue 1 match was postponed to Monday at police request, and the Steelers canceled a Saturday fan event in Paris. The NFL has insisted the game will go ahead as scheduled. Fox News reported that President Donald Trump said the NFL "could have postponed" the game, adding that France is "in a lot of trouble" right now. Kickoff is set for 9:30 a.m. Eastern on Sunday.
Source: GSM·America
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：巴黎法兰西体育场夜景。摄影：Idris2000，CC BY-SA 4.0，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / Photo: the Stade de France at night, by Idris2000, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
