An emotional confrontation between Saints and Pelicans Owner TOM BENSON's granddaughter, RITA BENSON LEBLANC, and wife, GAYLE BENSON, that "briefly turned physical" during a Saints home game last season "happened days before the 87-year-old billionaire decided to sever ties with his family members and cut them out of his estate plans," according to sources cited by Jeff Duncan of the New Orleans TIMES-PICAYUNE. Sources who witnessed the incident said that Benson LeBlanc "confronted Gayle Benson in Tom Benson's suite" before the Falcons-Saints game on Dec. 21. The pregame encounter "occurred in front of dozens of friends and guests of the Bensons and quickly escalated after Rita Benson LeBlanc, whom sources described as the aggressor, approached Gayle Benson." Benson LeBlanc "grabbed Gayle Benson by both shoulders and shook [her] repeatedly during a confrontation that lasted several minutes." Sources said that Tom Benson "was in the suite at the time of the incident and was aware of what occurred." Another source said that Saints President DENNIS LAUSCHA "was summoned from his nearby suite to act as an intermediary and restored order to the situation." Benson LeBlanc "returned to her suite next door, and the rest of the game proceeded without incident or engagement between the two parties." It is "unclear what prompted the incident." It "was a particularly dark moment in a rocky relationship between Gayle Benson and RENEE BENSON and her children." After the Saints' loss that afternoon, Tom Benson "left his suite and huddled with Lauscha and longtime friend and adviser STANLEY ROSENBERG in his office at the Superdome." Sources said that the meeting "lasted for more than an hour and was unusual for Tom Benson, who normally returned to his home immediately after games." Tom Benson six days later "emailed a letter to Renee Benson, Rita Benson LeBlanc and RYAN LEBLANC telling them he never wanted to see them again and banning them from his business operations." The letter "was the first in a series of events Tom Benson's estranged heirs allege to be a 'coup' orchestrated over the ensuing three weeks by Gayle Benson and others" (NOLA.com, 2/28).
