A prospective owner of the NFL Panthers will not be chosen in time to receive a vote by owners at their meeting in three weeks, sources said. However, one source said to expect a winner of the auction to be announced around the time of the May 22-23 meeting in Atlanta. The NFL Finance Committee met yesterday in N.Y. and listened to an update on the process. Because the NFL is investigating Panthers Owner Jerry Richardson for alleged personal misconduct, there has been a strong sense that the league wants the sale to happen quickly. At the March annual meeting, owners and league officials said they expected to vote on a sale by their May meeting. The front runner to buy the team, South Carolina businessman Ben Navarro, has been subject to frequent rumors that his business practices are suspect, which could lead to a longer vetting process. Sources close to the process said that the rumors are just that and Navarro would pass the NFL’s inspection. The other two bidders are Canadian steel magnate Alan Kestenbaum and hedge fund manager and Steelers investor David Tepper. Navarro is believed to have bid $2.6B, while Tepper came in with a number around $2.1B. The Panthers in January hired Allen & Co. to handle the sale of the team.
