Panthers Owner Jerry Richardson has decided to "step down immediately, turning over his role" to team COO Tina Becker after initially announcing plans on Sunday to put the team up for sale following the season, according to a front-page piece by Jourdan Rodrigue of the CHARLOTTE OBSERVER. Becker, in her 20th year with the team, will "take full control of the day-to-day management of the Panthers." The announcement came shortly after NFL VP/Communications Brian McCarthy "confirmed that the league would continue its investigation into Richardson." A former Panthers cheerleader, Becker became the group’s coordinator in '99 and became the team's Dir of Entertainment from '12-14. In '14, Becker was promoted to Exec Dir of the Owner's Office, a role that the Panthers described as "one that collaborated with Richardson in executing the organization’s business and executive priorities." She also "assisted in day-to-day operations and league affairs" (CHARLOTTE OBSERVER, 12/19). In Charlotte, Erik Spanberg noted the move makes Becker "one of the highest-ranking female executives" in the NFL. Becker in a statement said, "These have been some of the most difficult days of my 19 years with the Panthers, but I am lifted up by the strong resolve and the commitment our employees have shown to this organization. ... My immediate focus will be to ensure the corporate side of the organization performs at the same high level, while addressing the real concerns that have been raised in recent days" (BIZJOURNALS.com, 12/18). The Panthers said that the decision to put Becker in this role was made by the team and "wasn't a request by the league" (ESPN.com, 12/18).
COACH'S CORNER: Panthers coach Ron Rivera said that he "spoke with Richardson" on Sunday night just before the decision to sell. Rivera: "He was terrific in terms of our conversation." Rivera added that he "hoped new ownership keeps the team in Charlotte." Rivera: "This organization has had a tremendous impact on the Carolinas. It has helped the growth of this city and this community. It's been a source of pride and goodwill. I'd like to see it continue." Panthers defensive coordinator Steve Wilks said that he had "never heard Richardson use a racial slur." Wilks: "In my six years around here I never encountered anything around here of that sorts. Never have I heard of that. I'm just going to wait and see exactly what comes through the investigation" (ESPN.com, 12/18).
QUEEN CITY WEIGHS IN: A CHARLOTTE OBSERVER editorial states that Richardson's behavior "cannot be explained away as an old man with old notions navigating in a new, woke world." He made people "choose between their comfort, their dignity and their job." The editorial: "It was wrong." But that "doesn’t change that this is a sad end to a relationship that has largely been good for Charlotte." Richardson’s decision to sell is the "right call." It also raises that "uncomfortable question: Will the team go to an owner who will move it elsewhere?" The editorial: "We doubt it" (CHARLOTTE OBSERVER, 12/19). In Charlotte, Scott Fowler writes, "I have covered the best and the worst of the Panthers ever since the team was born in 1995, let me give you 13 pieces of advice." Fowler: "Don't disappear ... Did the 81-year-old owner apologize or defend himself publicly? No, he didn’t." The lack of communication "would be a surprise except for the fact that Richardson has held exactly one real press conference over the past 13 years." Fans could "hardly be less transparent than Richardson has been over the past decade" (CHARLOTTE OBSERVER, 12/19). USA TODAY's Mike Hembree writes Richardson "changed almost overnight from legend to suspect." The "cascade of changes and commentary left Charlotte reeling." The sentiment -- "mystery and uncertainty -- seemed to encapsulate much of the Monday morning feeling in and around Charlotte" (USA TODAY, 12/19). In Charlotte, Cassie Cope notes the "fate is up in the air" for namesakes of Richardson. UNC Charlotte’s football team "plays at the Jerry Richardson Stadium," which opened in '13. UNCC Exec Dir of Communications Stephen Ward said the school "has not discussed the topic and will not until the investigation is complete." Meanwhile, Wofford Univ., where Richardson went to school, "did not answer questions about whether buildings will keep bearing Richardson’s name" (CHARLOTTE OBSERVER, 12/19). The CHARLOTTE OBSERVER's Kevin Siers in an editorial cartoon takes on the Richardson controversy (THE DAILY).
: In N.Y., Ken Belson writes the situation with Richardson follows a "familiar pattern for a league that can appear flat-footed when managing an evolving crisis." While the NFL eventually "landed on a solution that would most likely benefit all parties" with Richardson's sale, the league initially "deferred to a member of its inner circle in a situation where organizations confronted with similar behavior from one of their own have reacted more swiftly and decisively." On Thursday, Richardson began "calling his fellow owners to tell them what was coming." The NFL "largely let the Panthers drive the process" with their own internal investigation. The league gave the impression that it "did not grasp the gravity of the charges." Until last week, Richardson was "one of the league’s elder statesmen" (
N.Y. TIMES, 12/19). In DC, Sally Jenkins writes the NFL is in "danger of stirring more antipathies than sympathies." At this point, owners "must admit that they have driven a lot of the antipathy themselves, with their suicidally retro, cigar-waving conduct." Those "revenue-scarfing, soft-seated luxury box dwellers can’t seem to get out of the way of their own product." Richardson has "acted as a toxic hardliner devoted to ensuring that no other player would ever be treated like a partner or equal." Like it or not, players "remain the essence of the NFL." Jenkins: "It will be a sincere relief when this generation of owners gives way, and players become the headliners and heart of the game again, instead of querulous old men with their gorged bellies" (
WASHINGTON POST, 12/19).
HOW THE LEAGUE LOOKS: NBCSN's Chris Simms said it is a "good look for the NFL" to continue the investigation into Richardson. It would be a "very bad look for the NFL to go, ‘Hey, our owner might have broken some rules and everything, but he's going to get away without getting investigated, but we’re going to be the judge, the jury, and the executioner on Ezekiel Elliott." PFT's Mike Florio wonders if Richardson will regret selling the team now that the investigation is continuing. Florio: "What's the point of voluntarily doing it if they’re still going to investigate, if they’re still going to dredge up all these facts, if there's going to be stuff that's leaked out to reporters and they're going to make him look bad over the next three months?" ("PFT," NBCSN, 12/19). Meanwhile, ESPN's Mike Wilbon said the NFL will "march right on" from the situation with another owner. ESPN's Tony Kornheiser: "I did think about (NBA Commissioner) Adam Silver and (former Clippers Owner Donald Sterling). ... In terms of what it means to the league? They bring in another owner, they're fine" ("PTI," ESPN, 12/18). FS1's Jason Whitlock said he is glad Richardson is "doing this without a fight and not going to make it ugly" ("Speak for Yourself," FS1, 12/18).
STRANGER THINGS: In S.F., Ann Killion writes, "Every week is a race to see how much stranger the league can become." Sunday was a "particular winner." It was a day that one of the league’s "revered owners faced allegations of longtime sexual harassment and the use of racial slurs." The "most powerful owner in the NFL," the Cowboys' Jerry Jones, "appeared to minimize" the allegations against Richardson. Killion: "NFL owners are the ultimate old boys’ club -- rich, mostly white, mostly older men -- who treat others however they want. And they want to keep it that way" (S.F. CHRONICLE, 12/19). In N.Y., Juliet Macur writes under the header, "Jerry Richardson Is About To Cash In On His Abuse." Jones said of Richardson on Sunday, "I want all of those kind of men that we can have in the National Football League." Macur: "Just how many more of 'those kind of men' are in the National Football League?" (N.Y. TIMES, 12/19).
GAUGING THE MARKET: A range of Charlotte and national experts in sports business and finance said that it would be "surprising for the Panthers to move." The CHARLOTTE BUSINESS JOURNAL's Spanberg noted the transaction of selling the Panthers allows no more than $250M in debt, and the league "requires the principal investor to own 30%." So based on a price of $2.25B, $250M could be debt, leaving $2B as the cash price with $600M "coming from the majority shareholder." The remaining $1.4B would "have to be secured by the lead owner through additional investors." Under such a scenario, a source said that it "might be more plausible that a lead investor would put in as much as 50% to reduce the number of minority partners that would have to be found" (BIZJOURNALS.com, 12/18). PRO FOOTBALL TALK's Mike Florio writes it is "not entirely clear whether Richardson will be selling only his stake in the team, or whether he has the right under the relevant agreements to put the full 100 percent of the equity up for sale." With Richardson giving up day-to-day control, Richardson’s "role in screening bids and selecting a winner is up in the air, at best" (PROFOOTBALLTALK.com, 12/19). In Charlotte, Rick Rothacker writes Richardson’s plan to sell at the end of the season instead of after his death is "likely to spur a whopping tax bill." N.Y.-based tax expert Bob Willens said, "He is going to incur a monstrous capital gains tax. It’s going to be very costly from a tax point of view" (CHARLOTTE OBSERVER, 12/19).
