LeCharles Bentley was a Pro Bowl guard for the Saints in 2003 and a Pro Bowl center for the Saints in 2005, but when he left the team to sign with the Browns in free agency, he said he would’ve rather not played at all than continued to play with the Saints. Two decades later, it’s safe to say the relationship between Bentley and the Saints is good again.
The Saints have announced that they’re hiring Bentley as a consultant on personnel and performance, which basically means he’ll be around the facility and helping out in any way he can.
“I’ve spent a lot of time watching film, so I’ve kind of hit multiple areas. I’ve spent time in the weight room, I’ve spent time on the field, I’ve spent time upstairs being able to assess and evaluate players and I also sit in meetings,” Bentley told the Saints’ website. “I’m touching multiple places and for me, I really enjoy that because it’s a challenge. But it also aligns with my personal skill sets. I don’t want to get into coaching, or have aspirations of being a coach. But I enjoy being able to serve the game and also be able to do so at a much higher level.”
Saints head coach Kellen Moore said Bentley’s presence will be valuable to the coaching staff, but Bentley made clear that coaching is not his calling.
“I teach and I look at the game through a different set of glasses than probably coaches do,” Bentley said. “That’s an advantage, but it’s also a disadvantage. So if I were in a coach’s chair, the way that I view the game, my own personal aspirations, it would create some blind spots for me as a coach. Coaches are unique creatures, and I’m just not wired at this stage of my life for that.”
Bentley’s playing career ended badly: When he left the Saints he signed with the Browns, suffered a serious knee injury on the first play of the Browns’ first 11-on-11 training camp session, suffered a staph infection after surgery for that knee injury, and never played football again. But he has remained involved in the game, and has now found another way to contribute.
