For decades, the Saints have been one of the core organizations that unite the city of New Orleans and the state of Louisiana.

Go to a Saints game, and you’ll see such a diverse array of people from all places, backgrounds and beliefs.

New Orleans is no vast metropolis, Louisiana no paradise, but we have this. The Saints belong to all of us.

I’ve been trying to hold onto this idea of the Saints as something real and significant because that’s what they’ve always been to me.

I love the New Orleans Saints. They are the team that taught me to love football and that sports matter, but it’s hard to love them right now.

There is much dispute about the details or who was involved in what specific way, but the primary facts are clear: at the approval of owner Gayle Benson, multiple top Saints executives, including team president and longtime Benson family ally Dennis Lauscha, worked closely with the Archdiocese of New Orleans while it navigated its sexual abuse scandals in 2018, and then proceeded to lie to the public by stating that their involvement was minimal.

I understand Mrs. Benson’s impulse here. I am not Catholic, but I went to a Catholic school, and every time a joke about the church was made, I cringed a little bit because I know many Catholics, and I know that the church is full of wonderful people.

Had she provided personal advice and care to the archbishop, a good family friend, I would still disapprove, but I would understand the impulse. Instead, she brought the team that I love into this mess and directed it to collaborate with an organization that oversaw decades of crime covertly.

The betrayal cuts deep.

NFL teams regularly respond poorly to the actions of bad actors within the league, as is evident by Deshaun Watson’s bank account.

But this is an entirely different caliber of disgusting. In this instance, the Saints organization’s actions are inexcusable and tarnish the entire team.

I can’t imagine how the players feel right now. I keep thinking about Cam Jordan, who has worked tirelessly for over a decade to uplift the lives of the children of New Orleans, hosting regular back-to-school supply drives and youth football camps.

Of course, I also think of Drew Brees, whose foundation has donated over $50 million to help cancer patients or provide education to children in need.

I think of all the truly good and faithful men who have called themselves Saints, who have used that platform not only to pursue excellence on the field but also to give back to the community that has provided them the opportunity to succeed.

It fills me with a deep, deep sadness.

Then, sadness gives way to anger.

The NFL faces one of the most potentially significant decisions in organizational history. While this controversy isn’t necessarily new, there was at least previously enough room for ambiguity that it was easily swept under the rug.

In 2014, phone calls leaked of Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling making multiple racist statements. While Sterling’s racism had been an open secret in the league for years, the issue now directly confronted the NBA. Commissioner Adam Silver made the bold and unprecedented move to ban Sterling for life from the NBA, simultaneously encouraging the NBA board of governors to force a sale of the team.

Sterling’s controversy surrounded the actions of a single powerful man. The Saints scandal involves the systematic collaboration of ownership, management, and communications, with dozens of powerful people leveraging the team’s resources in alliance with the church.

Roger Goodell, you are confronted now with a monumental decision. This isn’t a simple spying or bounty scandal. You must step up and make the difficult call here.

Gayle Benson’s judgment in this situation has significantly damaged the trust of the city of New Orleans and demonstrated that the current Saints leadership should not be responsible for this team. She should be banned from the NFL, and every member of the Saints’ front office should be investigated by the league and punished accordingly.

I am doubtful that the league will take that huge step, however. Dan Snyder never faced any real punishment for building a workplace mired in sexual abuse claims and allegations of significant corruption.

I feel bitter when I think of donning my Brees jersey now. I love this team so much, but it hurts to know that while Brees went on his final hurrah to the 2018 NFC championship game, the pomp and circumstance were masking severe misdeeds.

If Mrs. Benson truly loves this team, she must sell it. Only once everyone involved in this shameful episode in our history is gone may the Saints’ healing process begin.