NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell during his State of the League address Friday said Saints Owner Tom Benson is "in complete control" of the franchise, adding the 87-year-old is an active and "energetic" owner who is engaged with league issues, according to Jeff Duncan of the New Orleans TIMES-PICAYUNE. Goodell said, "He's demonstrated to me that he's got complete control over what he's doing to make sure that organization goes in the right direction." Goodell said that the dispute over Benson's "plan to transfer ownership to his wife Gayle, rather than a family group led by his granddaughter Rita Benson LeBlanc, was 'unfortunate.'" Duncan noted among the "myriad issues the battling sides of the Benson suit disagree on is who exactly owns the Saints and Pelicans franchises." As "far as the NFL is concerned, the answer is clear." Another matter that was "cleared up was the question of whether the transfer of ownership to Gayle Benson would be subject to league approval." Saints officials last week said that they "weren't sure if a vote was necessary because the succession plan was staying within Benson's family, in this instance his spouse." The Saints are "altering the club's succession plan rather than changing owners." Nevertheless, the succession plan "will still be subject to league approval, which would need an affirmative vote of three-fourths of the clubs, or 24 of 32 owners" (NOLA.com, 1/30). ESPN.com's Mike Triplett noted although Goodell "won't be the ultimate authority in a court of law, his opinion would seem to validate what Saints/Pelicans officials and Benson's attorneys have suggested in recent days -- that they don't believe fellow NFL or NBA owners will stand in the way of Benson's wishes." A Saints source said that Benson LeBlanc is "no longer part of the NFL and NBA committees that she served on, because she was terminated by the Saints and Pelicans" (ESPN.com, 1/30). In New Orleans, Andy Grimm noted Tom and Gayle Benson "signed a prenuptial agreement before they married" in '04. But New Orleans attorney Susan Burkenstock said that the document "wouldn't prevent Benson from sticking to his pledge" to leave the Saints and Pelicans to his wife after he dies (NOLA.com, 1/30).
ALL IN THE FAMILY: The TIMES-PICAYUNE's Duncan wrote the entire league "is abuzz about the Benson family feud." Though the saga "hasn't overshadowed" the Super Bowl, it was a "definite undercurrent." Duncan: "At the water cooler, in the hallways of the hotels and over dinner, everyone was talking about the Benson saga. ... No one was talking about the 7-9 Saints. ... All anyone wanted to talk about was 'All My Bensons.'" The NFL "hasn't seen a squabble like this since, well, maybe ever." Duncan: "I asked a longtime NFL executive if he could recall something of this nature during his tenure. He thought for a minute and was stumped" (New Orleans TIMES-PICAYUNE, 2/1).
