NFL Panthers Owner Jerry Richardson, who was inducted
into the NC Hall of Fame last night, said in a "rare"
interview before the ceremony that the "low point of his
experiences in athletics has been his team's recent string
of off-field troubles," according to Pat Yasinskas of the
CHARLOTTE OBSERVER. Richardson: "There's nothing evenly
remotely close to it. It's been a nightmare. I just would
have never dreamed that we'd have to face some of the things
we've had to face." In the past year the Panthers have had
to deal with the arrest of former WR Rae Carruth on murder
charges and the arrest of former RB Fred Lane on drug and
weapons charges. Richardson, on the "character issues"
surrounding his players: "I have asked myself what more
could we do. I'll tell you, I don't know what more we can
do. I have talked to players as a group. I have talked to
players individually. ... Talking is important. But what we
do is also important. I think the players on my team
understand that if they get off, they probably may end up
somewhere else." Richardson, on his players: "I'm not
asking them to be choirboys. All I'm saying is just be
decent. There are certain things a guy just shouldn't do
and we know what some of those are" (CHARLOTTE OBSERVER,
5/18). Richardson added "what's so bizarre" about the
recent string of off-the-field incidents in the NFL is that
they come at a time when the league "is doing more good in
its communities than ever before" (NEWS & OBSERVER, 5/18).
