Sorry, buyers. Speculation hasn’t quieted down about the New Orleans Saints or Pelicans being sold, or even relocated, but it won’t happen as long as Gayle Benson owns the teams. Benson met with Jeff Duncan for the Times-Picayune for a thorough interview on the state of both franchises, and she repeatedly said she will not sell either team.
Benson said the plan remains that, upon her death, “both teams will be sold to the highest bidder and those proceeds will be used 100% to improve this community.” But as long as she breathes, she has no plans to sell.
“Let me be clear about this: The teams are not for sale. That’s in capital letters,” Benson began. “I want everybody to know the teams are not for sale. I get tired of people asking me (if they’re for sale). I’m going to turn 79 in January, but I’m pretty healthy. I hear that people want to talk to me about buying the team. I’m like, well, that’s a waste of my time. That’s not going to happen.”
We’ve stoked those fires ourselves, highlighting potential buyers like Houston Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta (who has publicly expressed interest in buying the Saints) and LSU superfan Todd Graves, one of the wealthiest public figures in Louisiana. But no sale is coming until after Benson’s passing. Her late husband and the teams’ former owner, Tom Benson, died just months shy of his 91st birthday. She’s in it for the long haul, too.