Kevin Houser News

The developer of a financially troubled film studio in Elmwood pledged today to pay back the New Orleans Saints players and coaches for the money they are due from the project but said a deal still is not completed with potential investors that would make those repayments possible.

Only Coach Sean Payton and General Manager Mickey Loomis know if Kevin Houser's unceremonious release last week was related to Tax Credit-gate. But the evidence points overwhelmingly to Houser being kicked out of the house for his unwitting role as point man in Wayne Read's film tax-credit scheme at Louisiana Film Studios.

While more than two dozen Saints football players and coaches fear they may have lost nearly $2 million they entrusted to Louisiana Film Studios owner Wayne Read, they are not the only people in the New Orleans area who say the motion picture executive owes them money.

Archie Manning, Drew Brees and coach Sean Payton are among more than two dozen people with ties to the Saints who together put nearly $2 million into an Elmwood film studio that has failed to return their investments as promised.

NEW ORLEANS Though Kevin Houser has been in involved in Louisiana's tax credit system before, he said the most recent case in which he and several Saints teammates were involved is the first one that hasn't worked out right.

At least 16 people associated with the New Orleans Saints, including coach Sean Payton, quarterback Drew Brees and Hall of Famer Archie Manning, are among investors who lost $1.9 million.

Former New Orleans Saints player Kevin Houser said Thursday that he was surprised and unprepared for the call that came Monday from Coach Sean Payton telling him that he was being released from the team.

Several current and former Saints players and coaches are trying to recoup nearly $2 million that was invested in a Louisiana Film Studio.

Death, taxes, and Kevin Houser snapping the ball on special teams for the Saints.

A veteran Saints football player who was just released is trying to get back money that he and other team members invested in an Elmwood motion picture studio, representatives for the player and the film company said Tuesday.

The New Orleans Saints have cut veteran long snapper Kevin Houser and signed free agent long snapper Jason Kyle , the team announced in a press release Monday afternoon.

Saints officials appear to be in no rush to fill the void created by the abrupt -- and somewhat mysterious -- retirement of weakside linebacker Dan Morgan on Monday.

We'll break down the New Orleans Saints special teams in two parts - today, the kicking specialists and tomorrow the return men.

The Saints were expected to draft a running back or a defensive back with their first-round pick, unless they made a trade and traded down in the first round.

Today, I tackle the best sixth and seventh rounders and will work my way up to the first round later in the week.

I'll have installments every day this week so check back daily. Michael DeMocker/The Times-Picayune Lance Moore and Pierre Thomas are two Saints with emerging roles who could become team leaders.

But whenever his playing days are done, the three-time Pro Bowler plans to excel on an entirely different playing field.

Players, coaches and team and league executives expressed their best wishes Wednesday for Saints owner Tom Benson, who is recovering from cancer surgery.