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Saints/Pelicans owner Benson claims daughter, grandchildren tried to kill him

Sean Gardner / Reuters

Tom Benson, owner of the NFL's New Orleans Saints and NBA's New Orleans Pelicans, doesn't intend to leave a single cent behind for his children or his children's children.

Benson, whose competency to own and operate his sports franchises has come under legal challenge, said in a deposition given in March that he wants to leave his descendants "zero."

He says he has a good reason for it.

"Well, they tried to kill me for one thing," Benson said, according to a court filing made public Thursday and obtained by ESPN's Mike Triplett.

"They attacked me, you got to know. That's why I don't want to leave them anything. OK?" the 88-year-old Benson added. "I found out they didn't love me very much, trying to stab me in the back, wanted to take over everything, brought me to court saying I was crazy. You don't need any more than that."

Benson's daughter, Renee, and two grandchildren, Rita LeBlanc and Ryan LeBlanc, have battled Benson in court ever since he declared his intentions to leave his heirs out of his succession plan and leave everything to his third wife, Gayle Benson.

Benson's daughter and grandchildren then tried to have him declared mentally incompetent, but their attempt was rejected by a civil court and their appeals were unsuccessful.

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