4 ideas for the Panthers to replace the Jerry Richardson statue

Here are four ideas to take the place of Richardson’s likeness in front of the stadium.

Cam Newton + Luke Kuechly = Something greater

Cam Newton, Luke Kuechly
(Photo by Brett Carlsen/Getty Images)

We like the previous three options, this folks, is the one. Here’s why:

For starters, there hasn’t been two more impactful players in the history of the Carolina Panthers than Cam Newton and Luke Kuechly. Along with Newton being the franchise’s only recipient of the league MVP award and Kuechly being the franchise’s lone Defensive Player of Year winner, these two combined for 10 Pro Bowl selections, eight All-Pro distinctions, a pair of Rookie of the Year trophies and a countless number of organizational and league records.

Additionally, they were the two franchise pillars in what was the most prosperous run in team history. Thanks to their leadership from 2013 to 2015, the Panthers won three straight NFC South titles, also the first instance of the team clinching a playoff spot in consecutive seasons. They were both at the height of their careers in 2015, where they led the greatest Panthers team ever, a 15-1 juggernaut to the franchise’s second Super Bowl appearance.

Newton and Kuechly, like the men before them on this list, also used their celebrity and platforms to promote important causes in and around North Carolina. Both, whether it’d been publicized or not, devoted much of their time and resources to the community.

And, as powerful as all of that may be—the on-field success, the off-field contributions, the individual feats, the much needed closure it could provide both men (especially Newton)—a joining figure of these two fan favorites could represent something even more important that speaks to the current moment in the country.

Picture a statue of Newton and Kuechly out in front of Mint Street, embracing one another in full uniform – representing the power of racial unity and equality. These two men, one black and one white, came together to accomplish a common goal. A statue of Cam and Luke embracing would be a repudiation of the ugliness that defined Jerry Richardson’s exit and serve as a powerful reminder that there are much bigger things than football.

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