Tom Benson has testified that his estranged heirs tried to kill him.

Benson petitioned to prevent the New Orleans Saints or New Orleans Pelicans to pass to his daughter and her children.

“They tried to kill me for one thing,” Benson said. Asked to explain further, Benson said, “You know by picking on my wife and when I wasn’t feeling very good they were very hostile.”

Benson specifically referred to a December 2014 incident in which his wife, Gayle Benson, was physically assaulted at a Saints game. A prior report indicated that granddaughter Rita Benson LeBlanc accosted Gayle Benson. Tom Benson testified that his daughter, Renee, was the aggressor.