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]
Lawsuit against grandfather
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]
^Franz Lidz (September 17, 2007). "Rita's Hail Mary Pass". Upstart Business Journal. Retrieved January 24, 2015. In 2001, after graduating from Texas A&M with a degree in agribusiness, she started working for the Saints…
^Jason La Canfora (January 21, 2015). "Rita Benson LeBlanc out as Saints owner/ vice chairman". CBS Sports. Retrieved January 24, 2015. 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.
^Mike Triplett (January 23, 2015). "Controversial ownership decision intended to bring stability to Saints, Pelicans". ESPN.com. Retrieved January 24, 2015. 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.
^Darin Gantt (January 23, 2015). "Tom Benson says he feels "Great, just like a 50-year-old"". NBC Sports. Retrieved January 24, 2015. 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.
^Mike Triplett (January 23, 2015). "Bensons at odds over businesses". ESPN.com. Retrieved January 24, 2015. 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.
^NOLA.com (January 22, 2015). "Read the complete Rita Benson LeBlanc family lawsuit against Tom and Gayle Benson". The Times-Picayune. Retrieved January 24, 2015. 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.
