Gayle Benson will retain ownership of the New Orleans Saints for the foreseeable future, but we now know what the plans will be for the post-Benson era.
Boiled down to its simplest form: The team will be sold, with much of the proceeds going to charity and reinvested in the New Orleans area, according to an expansive report published Wednesday evening by NOLA.com and Fox 8.
Benson has operated as the teams’ owner since her husband, Tom, passed away at 90 years old in 2018. Gayle, 74, has no heirs to take on the mantle of team ownership once she is unable to continue in that role, thus the succession plans revealed for the first time this week.
The broad strokes of those plans were presented to Tom before his death, according to the report, and team ownership is already working to ensure whomever ultimately purchases the teams keeps them in New Orleans.
However well established, any such plans could face legal challenges from Tom Benson's relatives. The trio of Tom's daughter Renee Benson and grandchildren Rita and Ryan LeBlanc were once in line to inherit the teams and were at the center of an extensive and lengthy legal battle stemming from the decision to change course and install Gayle as his successor. The court battle challenged Tom's mental capacity to make such a decision, a case that ultimately proved unsuccessful.
Attorneys for the trio declined comment on whether they'd challenge the succession plans, according to another report from NOLA.com.
Tom Benson initially purchased the Saints from John Mecom after learning the team was on the verge of being sold to a group with an eye on relocating the team to Jacksonville, Florida. He took ownership in May, 1985 with the intent for the team to stay in the city. Tom and Gayle Benson, both native New Orleanians, were married in 2004, the third marriage for both.
The succession plan highlights Gayle Benson's affinity for giving and philanthropy. She'll have the authority to name benefactors from the sale and decide how money will be distributed, NOLA.com reports, with team officials forming an advisory board to review proposals for additional distributions.
Benson's charitable donations have been well documented, most recently announcing a $1 million donation toward Hurricane Ida relief last month. Team owners for the Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers, Baltimore Ravens and the NFL followed suit with $1 donations of their own to benefit areas impacted by the storm.
"You have to do something with the money," Benson said in the report. "Giving makes me happy."
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For the full report from NOLA.com, click here.