Tag: Jerry Richardson

Here’s why it’s the right move for the Panthers to remove statue of former owner Jerry Richardson

Former Panthers owner Jerry Richardson had a long, and at times disgraceful, history. The Panthers are right in removing his statue.

Jerry Richardson was a receiver out of Wofford who was selected in the 13th round of the 1958 NFL draft by the Baltimore Colts. He caught a touchdown pass from Johnny Unitas in the 1959 NFL championship game, and then became a very rich man due to his involvement in several food companies — Hardee’s, Spartan Foods, and Flagstar. In 1993, he became the first owner of the expansion Carolina Panthers, who played their first season in 1995. He held that position until 2017, when a number of scandals had him selling the team to David Tepper at the end of that season.

A December, 2017 report from L. Jon Wertheim and Viv Bernstein of Sports Illustrated revealed that Richardson had settled several complaints of inappropriate behavior. Per the report, Richardson would ask his female employees to turn around so that he could admire their backsides and make comments such as, “Show me how you wiggle to get those jeans up. I bet you had to lay down on your bed to fit into those jeans. Did you step into those jeans or did you have to jump into them?”

At least four employees settled financial agreements with Richardson in exchange for their vows of silence.

Dec 17, 2017; Charlotte, NC, USA; Panthers owner Jerry Richardson watches his team during the first quarter at Bank of America Stadium. (Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports)

Perceived from the outside as a champion of diversity because of his selection of Cam Newton with the first overall pick in the 2011 draft and the hire of head coach Ron Rivera the same year, Richardson was also capable of contemptible instances of behavior in this realm as well. After selecting Newton, Richardson famously asked the quarterback, “Did you get crazy after the draft and go out and get any tattoos or piercings? Do I have to check you for anything?” He also directed racial invective at one African-American scout.

In a recent appearance on the “Rapsheeet + Friends” podcast with Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network, former and current Panthers safety Tre Boston told the story of his desire to protest as Colin Kaepernick and others were back in 2016. As Boston put it, he was discouraged from doing so by Richardson himself.

“In 2016, we saw a world that… even with peaceful protesting with Kap, we saw a world that didn’t understand, and was not willing to listen or hear what we were trying to say,” Boston said. “It was hard times. We were screaming back then, ‘Help.’ We need help. How can we help out our community so that we’re one? And it’s tough when you hear from the top down that the people who watch football come here to get away from that stuff, even though we had protesting going on the day of the game. So, to hear open-ended promises — them telling us to do nothing, we’ll get you in the community. Then, the next week comes around, the week after that comes around, and nothing’s been said to you. Nothing’s been brought up to put you in the community. They did what they wanted.”

This has made complicated the presence of the statue of Richardson in front of the team’s home for games, Bank of America Stadium. A gift from the team’s minority owners on Richardson’s 80th birthday, the statue has stood less as a tribute to Richardson’s accomplishments, and more as hard proof of some very bad decisions on the part of the former owner. As those decisions have been made more and more public, the rationale for keeping the statue in place has been harder to excuse.

Except that new owner David Tepper was contractually obligated to keep the statue of Richardson, as Jonathan Jones of Sports Illustrated (now of CBS Sports) reported in 2018:

From the jump, it was made clear to all interested buyers this was non-negotiable. The statue—that two years ago those around Richardson claimed he didn’t even want—had become part of the deal. Although I was told during the process that the sale would be an auction to the highest bidder, Tepper reportedly had the lowest offer among the three finalists (though the billionaire was ready to cut a check any day and the other bidders were searching for financing). If you’re coming in with a lower bid and this statue is near and dear to the heart of the seller, is it worth rocking the boat?

The one exception to this obligation was in the name of public safety, which is the exception the team will use to remove the statue.

The effort to take the statue down was first reported by Joe Bruno of WSOC-TV in Charlotte, North Carolina:

And for anyone concerned about the state of the panthers in the statue, Jones is also on the scene.

Panthers taking down statue of former owner Jerry Richardson

According to a report by the Charlotte Post, the team is taking down the statue of former franchise owner Jerry Richardson which stands out front Bank of America Stadium.

It’s truly a new era for the Carolina Panthers.

According to a report by the Charlotte Post, the team is taking down the statue of former franchise owner Jerry Richardson which stands out front Bank of America Stadium.

Richardson brought the NFL to the Carolinas in the mid-90s when he founded the franchise. However, he was forced to sell the team two years ago after allegations of workplace misconduct surfaced, including sexual harrassment and racist remarks.

The statue was to remain in place even after the sale as part of the agreement between Richardson and David Tepper, but clearly things on the ground have changed over the last few weeks.

To their credit, the Panthers have encouraged players to engage in peaceful protests in the wake of George Floyd’s murder by the Minneapolis police. This is another significant step towards making it clear this is not just a PR campaign.

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With Ron Rivera’s firing, Panthers owner David Tepper is blazing his own trail

In firing coach Ron Rivera, Panthers owner David Tepper continues to distance franchise from former owner Jerry Richardson

If you walk alongside Bank of America Stadium, you’ll see statues of three men.

There’s one of legendary linebacker Sam Mills. Another of initial team president Mike McCormick. Then ,there’s one of the man they called “The Big Cat’’ back before he disappeared in disgrace.

That’s Jerry Richardson. The man who once held legendary status in the Carolinas.

Now, the statue is just about the only remnant of Richardson around the Carolina Panthers. Second-year owner David Tepper seems determined to get rid of anything involving Richardson.

The latest – and biggest example – came Tuesday as Tepper, who bought the team from Richardson, fired coach Ron Rivera, a Richardson hire. Tepper previously has parted ways with numerous people with deep ties to Richardson. We’re talking about people like Phil Youtsey, the team’s initial ticket director, and Jackie Miles, the team’s initial equipment manager.

Sure, the main reason Tepper fired Rivera was the team’s performance. The Panthers are 5-7 and have lost four straight, including Sunday’s embarrassing home loss to the lowly Washington Redskins. There also was last year’s collapse in which the Panthers lost seven of their last eight games.

Yeah, Rivera is respected around the league and had some success in Carolina. He was 76-63-1 in nine seasons, took the Panthers to four postseason appearances and one Super Bowl berth.

But the NFL is about what you’ve done lately and Rivera hadn’t done much. You could blame some of that on the fact franchise quarterback Cam Newton ended last season and this season on injured reserve. But, ultimately, the coach has to take the fall when things go wrong.

Rivera never had back-to-back winning seasons (that’s never happened in the history of a franchise that began play in 1995). But there’s more to it than that.

Tepper seems determined to erase anything that has to do with Richardson. Only the statue can’t be touched. After buying the team, Tepper said he was “contractually obligated’’ to keep the statue. It’s unclear if that obligation was part of the deal with Richardson or a separate agreement with the city.

If that obligation wasn’t in place, you can bet the statue already would be gone. Tepper wants to wipe out any traces of Richardson and that’s understandable. Richardson left a stain on the Panthers.

That’s still hard for many in the Carolinas to understand because, for years, Richardson seemed like a perfect story and was a regional icon. Here’s the quick story on Richardson’s background. He grew up in Eastern North Carolina and played receiver at Wofford College in Spartanburg, S.C. Then, he spent two seasons catching passes from Johnny Unitas for the Baltimore Colts.

Richardson then returned to Spartanburg and used his NFL money to start the first Hardee’s and it grew into a fast-food empire. Richardson then got the idea to bring about an NFL team that would represent both Carolinas. He used his wealth and NFL connections to make it happen.

Publicly, he always behaved like the perfect Southern gentleman. He sure fooled me.

I covered the Panthers for The Charlotte Observer from 1999 to 2008 and thought I knew Richardson well. I respected and admired him. He was one of the first people to call me after my father died. When I spent a month in Philadelphia with my sister after she had a bone-marrow transplant, Richardson called me twice a week to see how she was doing. He threw a farewell luncheon when I left The Observer for ESPN.

I bought it and so did the people of the Carolinas. But Richardson’s empire and image crashed in 2017 when Sports Illustrated reported that Richardson had given large financial settlements to four former female employees for inappropriate behavior in the workplace and to a scout against whom he used a racial slur.

Richardson essentially pled guilty by immediately announcing he was selling the team. Enter Tepper, who previously was a minority owner of the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Tepper has been on a mission to distance the franchise from Richardson. Who’s next to fall?

Perhaps general manager Marty Hurney, who did two stints under Richardson and convinced the owner to hire both previous coach John Fox and Rivera. Hurney apparently remains in his job – for now. But it sure looks like he’s on shaky ground.

If Hurney remains in place, his track record suggests that he’ll push for a coach who is a rising star as a coordinator. But, ultimately, the next hire is up to Tepper.

For those who are connecting Tepper’s Pittsburgh background to Bill Cowher’s North Carolina background, forget about it. Cowher has shown no interest in a return to coaching and, besides, he’s been out of it too long.

Interim coach Perry Fewell? No chance.

The new coach will come from outside. Tepper’s going to continue to clean house. Eventually, all of the Richardson residue will be gone. Except for that statue.

 

Pat Yasinskas has covered the NFL since 1993. He has worked for The Tampa Tribune, The Charlotte Observer and ESPN.com and writes for numerous national magazines and websites. He also has served as a voter for the Pro Football Hall of Fame.