Tom Benson's Wife, Granddaughter Reportedly Had Altercation at 2014 Saints Game

The strange, ongoing saga involving the succession plan for the two New Orleans professional sports franchises (the NFL's Saints and the NBA's Pelicans) owned by Tom Benson has had another layer added.

According to Jeff Duncan of The Times-Picayune, there was a physical confrontation between Benson's wife and granddaughter during a Saints game last season that set off the chain of events:

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An emotional confrontation between Tom Benson's granddaughter, Rita Benson LeBlanc, and wife, Gayle Benson, that briefly turned physical during a New Orleans 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.

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The report notes the altercation occurred during a Week 16 game at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome between the Saints and the Atlanta Falcons, with Rita Benson LeBlanc grabbing Gayle Benson "by both shoulders" and shaking "the then-67-year-old repeatedly during a confrontation that lasted several minutes."

Duncan also wrote that Tom Benson was in the suite during the altercation and "was aware of what occurred," per his sources. Duncan does state that it's "unclear" what led to the incident but that days later, Benson emailed a letter to members of his family indicating his unhappiness at how things between them were deteriorating:

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During the 80 years of my life, I have built a rather large estate, which was intended to mainly be for you all as my family. Suddenly after I remarried you all became offensive and did not act in an appropriate manner and even had arguments among yourselves, which created a very unpleasant family situation, which I will not stand for. It made me very unhappy and uncomfortable. This situation cannot continue at my age.

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In January, Benson announced that he was changing his succession plan, with his wife receiving ownership of the Saints and Pelicans when he dies. He said in a press release, via a report from Duncan, that it was "based solely on doing what is right."

In response, Benson's family filed a lawsuit in which they deem him to be "incompetent and is being directed by a manipulative wife and her allies at the highest level of the sports empire." The family claims he "is mentally and physically unfit to manage his personal or business affairs."

Per Forbes' calculations, the Saints are valued at $1.11 billion, and the Pelicans are worth $650 million. Benson is estimated to be worth $1.87 billion, which is approximately the total value of the two franchises combined. 

This has been an unusual chain of events over the last two months that has left the future of the Saints and the Pelicans—as well as the relationship between Benson and his family—in an unusual spot. 

Based on Duncan's new report, there doesn't seem to be a quick and easy resolution coming from this lawsuit.