Tag: Rock Hill

Former NFL TE Benjamin Watson on David Tepper: ‘The Carolinas deserve better’

Former NFL TE and Rock Hill HS alum Benjamin Watson believes David Tepper is burying the Panthers franchise.

Since we’re still waiting on a response from the Carolina Panthers and owner David Tepper in regards to Sunday’s . . . um . . . happenings, we’ll give you one from a pretty pertinent observer.

On Monday, former NFL tight end Benjamin Watson commented on the New Year’s Eve clip of Tepper appearing to angrily empty the contents of a cup towards the crowd at EverBank Stadium. And Watson, who attended Northwestern High School in Rock Hill, S.C. and spent a year of his college career at Duke University, believes his fellow Carolinians deserve better.

That incident occurred during Sunday’s 26-0 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars, where the Panthers were shut out for the first time in 21 seasons. As of this writing, the organization has declined to comment on the video.

Watson also alludes to the failed Rock Hill project, which saw the team’s proposed (and somewhat built) $800 million headquarters and training camp facility go up in smoke. After a well-documented and drawn-out dispute about finances between the city, York County and the company representing Tepper, the final remnants of the site were demolished in July.

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Blasting crews to demolish site of failed Panthers Rock Hill HQ on Tuesday

The remaining foundation of the Panthers’ Rock Hill headquarters is expected to be blasted away on Tuesday.

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Hopes of a Rock Hill home for the Carolina Panthers went up in proverbial smoke quite a while ago. But we’ll be seeing a more literal representation of the saying in a few hours.

York County officials have confirmed that the remaining foundational elements of the failed facility are set to be demolished by blasting crews on Tuesday.

The blasts, per a tweet from the county’s Office of Emergency Management, are expected to take place around 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. ET, with the possibility of a third later in the day. If the third cannot be conducted before dark, it will be scheduled for Wednesday at approximately 9 a.m. ET.

280 Mount Gallant Road in Rock Hill, S.C. was supposed to play host a new $800 million headquarters for the Panthers—one that would’ve also served as a training camp facility. Instead, well-documented disputes over funding between owner David Tepper and York County, blew that idea to bits.

Now, on Tuesday, the site will take a step closer to becoming office space while the Panthers reconvene for training camp down in Spartanburg, S.C.

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Federal judge approves Panthers’ bankruptcy settlement over Rock Hill

The legal battle between Panthers owner David Tepper and York County reached a finish line on Thursday.

In the words of federal bankruptcy court Judge Karen Owens—the Carolina Panthers, owner David Tepper and York County have reached “the finish line.”

From a Delaware court hearing on Thursday, Owens approved the bankruptcy settlement from Tepper’s real estate holding company, GT Real Estate (GTRE)—thus ending the final link to the failed Rock Hill, S.C. relationship. The settlement will pay York County the $21 million it dished out for the proposed Panthers headquarters and $60 million to the contractors who worked on the project before it was halted back in March.

GTRE, via The Herald, issued a statement about the ruling:

“From the outset, GTRE sought to ensure all legitimate claims were processed as fairly and quickly as possible and to achieve the project’s orderly and safe wind-down. We are pleased that the Court has approved our comprehensive plan of reorganization, which paves the way to resolve and satisfy GTRE’s creditor claims.”

The city of Rock Hill will now own the title to the property and the Panthers, well, will obviously have to find another spot for a new facility if Tepper wishes.

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Panthers owner David Tepper under criminal investigation for Rock Hill debacle

The Rock Hill saga continues for Panthers owner David Tepper, who is under investigation for possible misuse of public funds.

As reported by the Associated Press on Friday, Carolina Panthers owner David Tepper and GT Real Estate Holdings LLC are now the subject of a criminal investigation stemming from the failed construction of the Rock Hill, S.C. headquarters.

The probe will try to determine if Tepper and his real estate company misused public funds in their attempt to build the Panthers’ proposed practice facility. A joint statement from York County Sheriff Kevin Tolson and Solicitor Kevin Brackett, however, noted that this newest development in the ongoing saga is “simply an inquiry” and is not an inference that any criminality actually occurred.

GT Real Estate Holdings LLC has denied any wrongdoing in a statement of their own. It reads:

“This is a straightforward commercial matter that is being fully resolved. The underlying disputes arise under contracts that were jointly negotiated by the parties and are publicly available. The funds paid by the county were handled consistent with the terms of those contracts.”

News of the investigation comes just days after the franchise and York County announced a settlement from the lawsuit filed by the latter party back in June.

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York County sues David Tepper, Rock Hill over Panthers HQ

On Thursday, York County filed a lawsuit against Panthers owner David Tepper’s companies and Rock Hill in connection to the team’s failed practice facility project.

The book on David Tepper and his reign over the Carolina Panthers won’t be a peaceful read—at least through its early chapters. And now, there’s another one of those sour stories to add.

As reported by WSOC-TV on Friday, York County has moved to sue three of Panthers owner David Tepper’s companies and the City of Rock Hill over the team’s failed construction of their proposed headquarters. The lawsuit, which was filed on Thursday, alleges Tepper and Rock Hill inappropriately utilized $21 million in public funds—directing the money to general expenses of the project rather than the agreed upon Mount Gallant Road project.

A section of the lawsuit reads:

“[They] improperly utilized these funds on their failed vanity project, the Carolina Panthers’ headquarters and practice facility. Rather than cover the ballooning project budget themselves, the Tepper Defendants took money from York County and its taxpayers.”

In an additional statement given to WSOC-TV, the county declined any further comment outside of the filing—allowing its paperwork to speak on behalf of themselves and its taxpayers.

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York County responds after Panthers owner David Tepper’s real estate company declares bankruptcy

York County will look to recoup $21 million in funds from Carolina Panthers owner David Tepper’s GT Real Estate Holdings, which filed for bankruptcy on Wednesday.

For Carolina Panthers owner David Tepper and the city of Rock Hill, S.C., it’s all over but the paperwork. Time to settle up!

In finally pulling the proverbial plug on what was to be an $800 million team headquarters, Tepper’s real estate arm—GT Real Estate Holdings—filed for bankruptcy on Wednesday. The move, of course, was cited in relation to the failed project—which has left about $170 million worth of steel sitting in the middle of the 240-acre property.

As a response to the move, York County shared a statement with WSOC-TV declaring their plans to recoup $21 million of debt from Tepper’s company—funds used to improve a section of the bordering Mt. Gallant Road:

“On Wednesday, GT Real Estate Holdings LLC, (GTRE) filed for bankruptcy protection. GTRE is the entity handling the acquisition and construction of the Carolina Panthers’ headquarters and practice facility in York County on behalf of the Carolina Panthers organization and David Tepper.

“York County Government is listed as one of the creditors in the bankruptcy action. GTRE entered into an agreement with York County to upgrade a section of Mt. Gallant Road, which borders the headquarters/practice facility property. York County contributed $21 million toward the Mt. Gallant project. We believe those funds will be returned in full with interest, and County taxpayers are protected. We were prepared for this action, and fully expect a positive outcome for our citizens.”

WSOC reporter Joe Bruno also added in a bit of his own legwork from the county on Thursday. In addition to giving us a look at the abandoned headquarters, he showed us what was on the menu at a local sandwich shop.

Sounds . . . uh . . . tasty.

Future plans for the property are currently unknown as we await Rock Hill’s statement on the matter.

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Report: Panthers owner David Tepper puts real estate company into bankruptcy

As reported on Wednesday night by The Athletic, Panthers owner David Tepper placed his real estate holding company into bankruptcy—effectively ending the Rock Hill project.

In an eerie bit of foreshadowing not even two months ago, Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio theorized that Carolina Panthers owner David Tepper wouldn’t be below taking his ball and going home if and when he couldn’t get his way.

“Frankly, there’s a good chance Tepper is playing high-level hardball with Rock Hill as a shot across the bow at Charlotte,” Florio wrote in April when the Rock Hill deal began to crumble. “The hard bargain Tepper has chosen to drive in South Carolina could be a precursor to the hard bargain he’ll drive in North Carolina.

“Maybe that’s why Tepper seems to be untroubled by the current situation. His deeper message could be far more pointed.

“Give me what I want, or I eventually will be gone.”

Well, he didn’t get his way in South Carolina. And now, he’s gone.

As reported by Joseph Person and Daniel Kaplan of The Athletic late Wednesday night, the eighth-richest owner in all of professional sports put his real estate holding company, GT Real Estate Holdings, into chapter 11 bankruptcy. That, in turn, officially closes the billionaire’s chapter on the Rock Hill headquarters.

GT Real State Holdings released the following statement:

We will provide you with further updates on this development as they become available.

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Biggest takeaways from Panthers owner David Tepper on Wednesday

On Wednesday, Panthers owner David Tepper fielded questions from team media for the first time since 2020. And it showed.

It’s been over a year since we’ve seen Carolina Panthers owner David Tepper answer to the media. And, boy, what a time it’s been.

Tepper jumped back into transparency—or at least gave his best effort to—on Wednesday and fielded questions about a plethora of pressing topics. So here are the biggest takeaways from those exchanges.

Is Panthers owner David Tepper sending an ominous message to Charlotte?

PFT’s Mike Florio suggests David Tepper’s “high-level hardball” with Rock Hill may come with the implied threat of moving the Panthers out of Carolina.

Carolina Panthers owner David Tepper isn’t used to not getting what he wants. And since purchasing the franchise back in 2018, he hasn’t gotten much—at least as far as the football side of the business is concerned.

Those misfortunes continued on Tuesday, with the latest news on the team’s Rock Hill, S.C. development shedding a not-so-flattering light on Tepper. In a report from the Charlotte Business Journal, a York County councilman said he believes the Panthers have permanently abandoned the construction of their 240-acre headquarters.

On March 7, Tepper Sports & Entertainment claimed the city of Rock Hill did not follow through on their initial promises—$225 million in taxpayer money—to help fund the project. The team has since denied the city’s hopes of devising alternative financing plans for the property.

As a result, state senator Wes Climer took a few shots at the billionaire owner.

“The bottom line is that our community deserves answers,” Climer said. “The city, the county, the state and the Panthers worked together constructively for a considerable period of time at great effort to bring to Rock Hill a world-class sports entertainment center. David Tepper came to Rock Hill promising us Jerry Jones and ever since then he’s given us Dan Snyder.”

Sheesh.

But is there a greater, more ominous underlaying message to all of this? Is Tepper’s hardball approach a precursor for things to come?

Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio suggests it may be. Just as he’s doing with Rock Hill, Tepper could threaten to pick up his ball and go elsewhere if he doesn’t get what he wants. And what he might want out of Charlotte, in due time, is a new stadium.

“Frankly, there’s a good chance Tepper is playing high-level hardball with Rock Hill as a shot across the bow at Charlotte,” Florio writes. “The hard bargain Tepper has chosen to drive in South Carolina could be a precursor to the hard bargain he’ll drive in North Carolina.

“Maybe that’s why Tepper seems to be untroubled by the current situation. His deeper message could be far more pointed.

“Give me what I want, or I eventually will be gone.”

Last year, Tepper stated he wouldn’t build a new stadium alone—implying the community must help foot the potential bill. Well, good luck trying to get the people of Charlotte to buy what this middling product is currently selling.

This, however, wouldn’t be an out-of-character move—especially for a guy who bought his old boss’ home for $43.5 million, only to tear it down and build a mansion twice as large for the sake of pettiness.

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