Rita Mae LeBlanc, also known as Rita Benson LeBlanc (born January 11, 1977), is a former vice chairman of the board of the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League.[1][2]
Rita M. LeBlanc | |
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Born | |
Nationality | American |
Alma mater | Texas A&M University (B.S, Agribusiness, 2001) |
Occupation | NFL executive |
Years active | ca. 2002 -- 2015 |
Known for | former Vice Chairman of the Board of the New Orleans Saints |
Parent | Russell LeBlanc (father) Renee Benson (mother) |
Website | Rita Benson LeBlanc on Twitter |
LeBlanc is the daughter of Russell LeBlanc and of Renee Benson, the daughter of the late Tom Benson, who owned the New Orleans Saints and the New Orleans Pelicans prior to his death.[3] Rita has a brother, Ryan LeBlanc.[4][5]
Born in Houma, Louisiana[6] when her family lived in nearby Cut Off,[7] she was raised on a ranch near Johnson City, Texas, where she attended Lyndon B. Johnson High School[8] before receiving a Bachelor of Science degree in agribusiness at Texas A&M University in 2001.[9]
LeBlanc began interning for the Saints and in various league offices while still in high school, and went to work for the Saints after college.[7][10] In 2003, she took over management of the New Orleans VooDoo, the Arena Football League team also owned by Benson, and was named the indoor league's top executive.[6] (The VooDoo ceased operations in 2008.)[11] In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, she began to take on a more public role and greater responsibilities in the management of the Saints.[10]
She chairs the NFL Employee Benefits Committee,[1] and was previously identified as Benson's intended successor as principal owner of the team.[12][13] LeBlanc is on the Board of Selectors of Jefferson Awards for Public Service.[14]
In 2012, Tom Benson suspended LeBlanc from her jobs on account of her "sense of entitlement."[15][4][13]
It was announced on January 21, 2015, by then Saints and Pelicans owner Tom Benson that Leblanc was no longer in consideration for future ownership of either franchise.[2] She then sued him for control of his companies, claiming he was "incompetent." Tom Benson called the lawsuit meritless and false.[16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24]
In 2001, after graduating from Texas A&M with a degree in agribusiness, she started working for the Saints…
Benson LeBlanc has had a tumultuous relationship with her grandfather and with many key figures within the team's hierarchy, and was suspended by Tom Benson for three months in 2012.
Rita Benson LeBlanc, Renee LeBlanc and Ryan LeBlanc were removed from the Saints' staff directory Wednesday night; Rita also had the title of vice chairman of the board with both franchises.…. Renee and Ryan Benson also have been shut out from Benson's operations. Their offices at the team's facility on Airline Drive have been closed.
Multiple sources within the two sports franchises, both on and off the record, applauded the move. Many believe the transition will be much smoother if Gayle Benson becomes owner instead of Tom Benson's adopted daughter, Renee Benson, and grandchildren Rita Benson LeBlanc and Ryan LeBlanc.
Benson created a stir when he announced that he was taking away future control of his assets from his daughter and grandchildren and transferring them to his current wife. They in turn sued him, claiming he wasn't competent to do so, in a bizarre suit that claims his Gayle Benson is manipulating him, including the claim that she's feeding him mainly candy, ice cream soda and red wine. He in turn issued a statement saying he was perfectly capable of handling his own affairs, and that he'd fight the lawsuit.
Benson, 87, announced Wednesday that he plans to hand over control of the franchises to his wife, Gayle, in the event of his death. But Benson's adopted daughter, Renee Benson, and grandchildren Rita Benson LeBlanc and Ryan LeBlanc filed a lawsuit Thursday claiming he should not be allowed to do so because his "health and mental capacity have significantly declined" and he has "fallen under the undue influence" of Gayle, whom Benson married in 2004.
The suit was filed one day after Tom Benson unexpectedly announced plans to transfer future ownership of the clubs to wife, Gayle, cutting off his daughter, Renee LeBlanc, and his two grandchildren, Ryan LeBlanc and Rita Benson LeBlanc, who until recently had been designated as the heir apparent.