Wife Gayle, Not Rita, Will Control Saints & Pelicans After Benson Dies

Jeff Duncan with NOLA.com reports that New Orleans Saints and Pelicans owner Tom Benson will transfer ownership of the teams to his wife, Gayle, instead of his granddaughter, Rita Benson LeBlanc, who he had previously picked to be his successor.

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In a plan revealed to NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune on Wednesday afternoon at the teams' Metairie headquarters, Benson said the change is necessary to "ensure the long-term stability and success" of the sports franchises and his other business interests.

Benson LeBlanc's offices at the teams' Metairie headquarters recently have been vacated and her company-issued Mercedes-Benz and cell phone have been seized.

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Duncan writes that Rita has not participated in team-related business meetings since the end of the Saints' 2014 season.