The 87-year-old owner of the New Orleans Saints and Pelicans caused a massive shake-up on Wednesday by cutting his daughter and grandchildren out of his will and announcing that his much-younger wife Gayle would instead take control of the teams when he dies. In a press release, Tom Benson said that the move was for the long-term health of his franchises and the community, and insured that his daughter and grandchildren 'will be very well taken care of after I die'. 'This is a decision that I have decided was in the best interest for the long-term stability and success of our football and basketball teams...This is not something that came about overnight, but over time,' Benson said. But his daughter Renee LeBlanc and her children Rita Benson LeBlanc and Ryan LeBlanc claim the move is all third-wife Gayle's doing, in a lawsuit filed less than 24 hours after the announcement. The lawsuit filed Thursday paints 67-year-old Gayle as an evil stepmother straight out of a children's fairytale, who allegedly staged a 'coup' to take control of her husband's life for her own selfish benefit. Change of plans: Tom Benson (left), the 87-year-old owner of the New Orleans Saints and Pelicans, changed his will this week to transfer ownership of the teams to his wife Gayle, 67 (right), in the event of his death. The couple of ten years pictured above at a Saints game on October 26, 2014 . Suing: Benson's daughter Renee LeBlanc and her two children are now suing claiming that Benson is no longer fit to make financial decisions. Above, New Orleans Saints players in white battle off against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in a December 28 game . Under the original terms of Benson's will, his daughter Renee was set to take a 60 per cent interest in the football and basketball teams upon his death, with Rita and Ryan each getting 20 per cent. They will no longer inherit any interest in either team according to the terms of the new will. The announcement comes as a tough blow for the auto-dealership magnate's granddaughter Rita, who had been primed to take over her grandfather's sports businesses and was serving as vice chairperson of the board for both teams. Rita, her mother and brother have since been stripped of their jobs and their names removed from the  Saints employee directory following the announcement. The trio are now hoping to regain their power over the teams in court, by proving that Benson is no longer fit to make decisions about his businesses and that his daughter should be placed in charge of his financial affairs. In the lawsuit, the LeBlancs say Benson has become increasingly ill in the past year and that his wife has been using his reliance on her to her own advantage. In the past year, Benson has undergone two knee surgeries and a stomach surgery which have left him bound to a wheelchair and walker. The suit says Benson became incoherent on a plane to an NFL owners meetings last May where he passed out, leading to the stomach surgery. He was also unwell during the Saints training camp where he was again hospitalized twice 'due to irregular vital signs, weakness and dehydration'. Benson is allegedly not eating well either, subsisting on a diet of 'candy, ice cream, sodas and red wine'. Estranged: Perhaps most hurt in this shake-up is Benson's (center) granddaughter Rita (left) who was has lost her position as chairperson to the board on both his sports teams. She will no longer get a stake in either team when her grandfather dies, according to the new will . Disinherited: Benson's daughter Renee (left) and grandson Ryan (right) are also left without a stake in the teams according to the new will . The LeBlancs say Benson has been 'heavily medicated' and has 'acknowledged on occasions that he does not know his age, where he is, what day of the week it is, nor what the date is'. 'On at least one occasion (he) failed to recognize his daughter, Renee, failed to remember or commemorate her birthday,' the lawsuit reads, adding that he also couldn't remember the name of the current president once, guessing Ronald Reagan and Harry Truman. And in a strange move, he last year tried to buy a race track which is against the NFL owners rules on gambling businesses. The children say Benson is now more dependent than ever on his wife of ten years, who appears to have taken over every aspect of his life. They claim she stopped their traditional holiday celebrations this year, has removed their photos from Benson's home, and is constantly monitoring his phone calls and emails. His doctors, caregivers and household staff have also allegedly been replaced by people loyal to Gayle. The LeBlancs also shared a heartbreaking letter in their lawsuit, which Benson sent to them at the end of the last month. The letter bans his daughter and grandchildren from Saints and Pelicans games for allegedly disrespecting his wife. Harsh: Included in the LeBlancs's lawsuit filed Thursday is a copy of a letter Tom Benson sent them last month, banning them from Saints and Pelicans games for their behavior towards his latest wife . The lawsuit also seeks to discredit Gayle's competence to lead their father's sprawling empire, based on her limited career as an interior designer. The suit says that before the two married, Gayle's business had been sued 'multiple times' and that she was in 'significant debt' with 'limited credit'. 'Gayle has never owned, operated or managed a substantial business enterprise,' the lawsuit says, adding that she also 'had no interest in football, basketball, or in sports in general before marrying' Benson. Benson first purchased the New Orleans Saints in 1985, and more recently acquired the Pelicans  in 2012. He met his third wife in 2004 at a mass at St Louis Cathedral. He asked her to an indoor football game and she agreed, hoping to get a donation for the church. They were married just a few months later in a ceremony in San Antonio, where his car business is headquartered. During their decade-long romance, the Bensons have been awarded the highest papal honor for Catholic laypeople, the Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice Award, for their large donations to the church. They have donated $5million to found the Ochsner's Gayle and Tom Benson Cancer Center, $8million to build a Jesuit Center at Loyola University, among other charity programs. Though her personal interior design business doesn't translate much to the sports world, Gayle is well loved by members of the community, which generally responded positively to the announcement that she would be taking over this week. 'All I can say is I absolutely love Gayle,' Saints quarterback Drew Brees said. 'I think she's one of the sweetest people. I know she's one of our biggest fans. Her presence at practice with Tom all the time and the way she treats the wives and the players, she's first class.' Gayle has also been instrumental in securing a Mercedes sponsorship for the Superdome and re-branding the Pelicans team.
New Orleans Saints and Pelicans owner Tom Benson, 87, announced Wednesday he was transferring control of the teams to his wife Gayle, 67 .
The auto-dealership magnate's original will stipulated that his daughter Renee LeBlanc and her two children would become the teams' owners .
Less than 24 hours after the ownership change was announced, Renee and her children filed a lawsuit to stop the move .
They claim that Benson is physically and mentally unwell and is being manipulated by his twenty years younger wife .
The 87-year-old owner of the New Orleans Saints and Pelicans caused a massive shake-up on Wednesday by cutting his daughter and grandchildren out of his will and announcing that his much-younger wife Gayle would instead take control of the teams when he dies. In a press release, Tom Benson said that the move was for the long-term health of his franchises and the community, and insured that his daughter and grandchildren 'will be very well taken care of after I die'. 'This is a decision that I have decided was in the best interest for the long-term stability and success of our football and basketball teams...This is not something that came about overnight, but over time,' Benson said. But his daughter Renee LeBlanc and her children Rita Benson LeBlanc and Ryan LeBlanc claim the move is all third-wife Gayle's doing, in a lawsuit filed less than 24 hours after the announcement. The lawsuit filed Thursday paints 67-year-old Gayle as an evil stepmother straight out of a children's fairytale, who allegedly staged a 'coup' to take control of her husband's life for her own selfish benefit. Change of plans: Tom Benson (left), the 87-year-old owner of the New Orleans Saints and Pelicans, changed his will this week to transfer ownership of the teams to his wife Gayle, 67 (right), in the event of his death. The couple of ten years pictured above at a Saints game on October 26, 2014 . Suing: Benson's daughter Renee LeBlanc and her two children are now suing claiming that Benson is no longer fit to make financial decisions. Above, New Orleans Saints players in white battle off against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in a December 28 game . Under the original terms of Benson's will, his daughter Renee was set to take a 60 per cent interest in the football and basketball teams upon his death, with Rita and Ryan each getting 20 per cent. They will no longer inherit any interest in either team according to the terms of the new will. The announcement comes as a tough blow for the auto-dealership magnate's granddaughter Rita, who had been primed to take over her grandfather's sports businesses and was serving as vice chairperson of the board for both teams. Rita, her mother and brother have since been stripped of their jobs and their names removed from the Saints employee directory following the announcement. The trio are now hoping to regain their power over the teams in court, by proving that Benson is no longer fit to make decisions about his businesses and that his daughter should be placed in charge of his financial affairs. In the lawsuit, the LeBlancs say Benson has become increasingly ill in the past year and that his wife has been using his reliance on her to her own advantage. In the past year, Benson has undergone two knee surgeries and a stomach surgery which have left him bound to a wheelchair and walker. The suit says Benson became incoherent on a plane to an NFL owners meetings last May where he passed out, leading to the stomach surgery. He was also unwell during the Saints training camp where he was again hospitalized twice 'due to irregular vital signs, weakness and dehydration'. Benson is allegedly not eating well either, subsisting on a diet of 'candy, ice cream, sodas and red wine'. Estranged: Perhaps most hurt in this shake-up is Benson's (center) granddaughter Rita (left) who was has lost her position as chairperson to the board on both his sports teams. She will no longer get a stake in either team when her grandfather dies, according to the new will . Disinherited: Benson's daughter Renee (left) and grandson Ryan (right) are also left without a stake in the teams according to the new will . The LeBlancs say Benson has been 'heavily medicated' and has 'acknowledged on occasions that he does not know his age, where he is, what day of the week it is, nor what the date is'. 'On at least one occasion (he) failed to recognize his daughter, Renee, failed to remember or commemorate her birthday,' the lawsuit reads, adding that he also couldn't remember the name of the current president once, guessing Ronald Reagan and Harry Truman. And in a strange move, he last year tried to buy a race track which is against the NFL owners rules on gambling businesses. The children say Benson is now more dependent than ever on his wife of ten years, who appears to have taken over every aspect of his life. They claim she stopped their traditional holiday celebrations this year, has removed their photos from Benson's home, and is constantly monitoring his phone calls and emails. His doctors, caregivers and household staff have also allegedly been replaced by people loyal to Gayle. The LeBlancs also shared a heartbreaking letter in their lawsuit, which Benson sent to them at the end of the last month. The letter bans his daughter and grandchildren from Saints and Pelicans games for allegedly disrespecting his wife. Harsh: Included in the LeBlancs's lawsuit filed Thursday is a copy of a letter Tom Benson sent them last month, banning them from Saints and Pelicans games for their behavior towards his latest wife . The lawsuit also seeks to discredit Gayle's competence to lead their father's sprawling empire, based on her limited career as an interior designer. The suit says that before the two married, Gayle's business had been sued 'multiple times' and that she was in 'significant debt' with 'limited credit'. 'Gayle has never owned, operated or managed a substantial business enterprise,' the lawsuit says, adding that she also 'had no interest in football, basketball, or in sports in general before marrying' Benson. Benson first purchased the New Orleans Saints in 1985, and more recently acquired the Pelicans  in 2012. He met his third wife in 2004 at a mass at St Louis Cathedral. He asked her to an indoor football game and she agreed, hoping to get a donation for the church. They were married just a few months later in a ceremony in San Antonio, where his car business is headquartered. During their decade-long romance, the Bensons have been awarded the highest papal honor for Catholic laypeople, the Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice Award, for their large donations to the church. They have donated $5million to found the Ochsner's Gayle and Tom Benson Cancer Center, $8million to build a Jesuit Center at Loyola University, among other charity programs. Though her personal interior design business doesn't translate much to the sports world, Gayle is well loved by members of the community, which generally responded positively to the announcement that she would be taking over this week. 'All I can say is I absolutely love Gayle,' Saints quarterback Drew Brees said. 'I think she's one of the sweetest people. I know she's one of our biggest fans. Her presence at practice with Tom all the time and the way she treats the wives and the players, she's first class.' Gayle has also been instrumental in securing a Mercedes sponsorship for the Superdome and re-branding the Pelicans team.
The 87-year-old owner of the New Orleans Saints Wednesday by cutting his daughter and control of the teams when he dies. In a press release, Tom Benson said that the move was for said. But his daughter Renee LeBlanc and her in a lawsuit filed less than 24 hours after the of the New Orleans Saints and Pelicans, changed teams to his wife Gayle, 67 (right), in the event two children are now suing claiming that Benson auto-dealership magnate's granddaughter Rita, who