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.