New Orleans Saints fans hold signs and cheer after the Saints beatthe Carolina Panthers 31-21 in New Orleans on Dec. 3. Bill Feig AP

New Orleans Saints fan Lee Dragna is suing his favorite team for a refund on his season tickets.

Dragna, who has seats on the 20-yard line about 25 rows back, told The New Orleans Advocate that he hasn’t attended a game since the season-opener because of the atmosphere created, he said, by Saints players kneeling during the national anthem before games.

He asked the Saints for a $8,000 refund but was denied.

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He filed a lawsuit in Gretna, La., on Monday seeking a refund and attorney’s fees.

Dragna, who owns a business in Morgan City, La., said the protests by some players have prevented his family from enjoying games at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.

Dragna, who gained notoriety after actor Kevin Costner promoted Dragna’s “Big Gulp” method for skimming oil out of the Gulf of Mexico after the BP oil spill, said the players protests during the anthem created an unsafe environment for his family.

“The Saints created that behavior by condoning it,” he told The Advocate. “It’s my thought pattern that they should not be allowed (to protest). If you sell tickets to a gaming event for entertainment, you should not be allowed to turn it political.”

Former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick first knelt during the anthem in August 2016 to raise awareness about social injustice. Other players joined him but the league didn’t see widespread protests by players until President Donald Trump verbally attacked kneeling players during a stump speech in Alabama on Sept. 23.

“Apparently, these players were following the lead of Colin Kaepernick by disrespecting the flag, the anthem, the USA and those who have served and are serving the USA in our military,” Dragna told the Advocate. The fan reaction to the protests, he said, is “borderline dangerous.”

Dragna said he doesn’t blame the fans for their behavior; he blames Saints’ owner Tom Benson.

“They don’t even want to talk about this, but I don’t care,” he said. “One way or another they’ll pay.”

 

Stefan Stevenson: 817-390-7760, @StevensonFWST

This story was originally published December 12, 2017 3:52 PM.