METAIRIE, La. -- New Orleans Saints and Pelicans owner Gayle Benson and team officials revealed the teams' long-term succession plans in detail for the first time Wednesday, telling The Times-Picayune and WVUE-TV that they would be sold with the goal of keeping the teams in New Orleans and distributing the proceeds to charity.
The arrangement, which has been approved by the NFL, is similar to what happened after Buffalo Bills owner Ralph Wilson died in 2014 and the team was later sold to Terry and Kim Pegula.
Benson, 74, and Saints president Dennis Lauscha, who would serve as the executor of her estate, said the proceeds would be distributed to charities that benefit the people of New Orleans, including the fields of education, health care, arts and sciences and humanitarian causes.