Panthers Owner Jerry Richardson can now officially put the team "up for sale" following the team's 31-26 Wild Card loss to the Saints yesterday, according to a front-page piece by Katherine Peralta of the CHARLOTTE OBSERVER. Offers could soon start "flowing in from potential ownership groups." The potentially $2B-plus sale could be "approved before training camp begins in July, if past team sales are any indication of a timeline." According to Forbes, the Panthers have a net worth of $2.3B, but experts have said that the team "could go for as much as" $2.5-2.8B (CHARLOTTE OBSERVER, 1/8). In Charlotte, Scott Fowler in a front-page piece writes the final image of this Panthers season was the 81-year-old Richardson "walking slowly with a cane into the Panthers locker room and saying his goodbyes to the players on a team that is now officially for sale." Richardson’s appearance in the locker room "inserted an extra layer of emotion into a group of players that had already been through a wringer of a day." Panthers LB Luke Kuechly "broke down -- his voice cracking, his eyes tearing up -- as he described Richardson’s visit." Kuechly: "Everybody on this team owes a lot to him. That’s not how we wanted him to ... that’s not how we wanted the season to end for him and, unfortunately, for us" (CHARLOTTE OBSERVER, 1/8). ESPN.com's David Newton noted while the "allegations against Richardson are serious, players have talked about the man they claim to know and the things that Richardson did for them." Panthers LB Thomas Davis: "He’s done a lot for every man in this locker room. For us to not come through today, it definitely hurts." Panthers TE Greg Olsen said that he "talked briefly to Richardson after the game and thanked him for all he has done for Olsen and his family" (ESPN.com, 1/7).
PROVIDING SOME STABILITY: In Charlotte, Jourdan Rodrigue notes the contract extension coach Ron Rivera signed on Saturday could "provide some stability" for the Panthers in the near term. A source said that the extension, which runs through the '20 season and is worth $15.5M, is the first move made by COO Tina Becker to "keep a constant in the locker room and franchise." Becker assumed control of the team following the allegations of workplace misconduct against Richardson. Rivera said, "I don’t know that’s going to happen from this point. We will see. But I think it’s a good sign for us as an organization, as a football team, having that stability. And we’ll go from there." Rivera added that he would "like to continue working" with interim GM Marty Hurney (CHARLOTTE OBSERVER, 1/8).
THE UPSIDE OF UPTOWN: North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper said that he has begun "consulting local civic and business leaders about ways the state can help keep" the Panthers in Charlotte. He called the team "critical to the Charlotte area and North Carolina’s economy." Cooper: "I want them to stay here. ... I cannot imagine any owner that would buy this team who would want to move it" (CHARLOTTE OBSERVER, 1/6). In Charlotte, Steve Harrison wrote there "isn’t enough land around Bank of America Stadium" to build a mixed-use development similar to Patriot Place." However, the new ownership group could "shoehorn a smaller development on land the team already owns" or on the current practice fields. When Bank of America Stadium was built in the mid-'90s, it was in a "quiet corner of uptown." There now is "plenty of foot traffic that could be enticed to spend money at a Panthers-owned restaurant, team museum or retail center." Because of its urban location, the team "controls very little game-day parking." As uptown Charlotte continues to develop, "finding room for 20,000 parking spaces could be difficult" (CHARLOTTE OBSERVER, 1/6).
