Being part of an ownership group would give Manning as much -- or as little -- influence as he wantsGETTY IMAGES
South Carolina businessman Ben Navarro "has reached out" to Peyton Manning about joining his ownership group bidding for the Panthers, and he is "still considering Navarro's offer to become a limited partner," according to Joseph Person of the CHARLOTTE OBSERVER. Manning reportedly was approached by the Browns last fall about a possible role in their front office, though Browns Owner Jimmy Haslam said that he "never offered Manning a position." Manning also "passed on two high-profile broadcast jobs in recent months." Other "known bidders on the Panthers" include Steelers investor David Tepper and Canadian steel magnate Alan Kestenbaum (CHARLOTTE OBSERVER, 5/10). In Indianapolis, Scott Horner wrote being part of an ownership group would allow Manning to "return to the sport and have as much -- or as little -- influence over the team as he wants" (INDYSTAR.com, 5/9). NBCSN's Mike Florio said if Manning gets involved with the bid, he is "not going to be part-of-the-way involved. He's going to be involved. He's taking over, and that would be a good thing for the Panthers. It would also be a good thing for the NFL if Peyton Manning was involved in an ownership group. I feel like it's going to head that way eventually. It's just a matter of which team, it’s a matter of what opportunity. ... You can't just give Peyton Manning a little involvement” (“PFT,” NBCSN, 5/10).
NEEDS IMPROVEMENT: In Charlotte, Jourdan Rodrigue cites an email sent by Panthers COO Tina Becker to team employees on April 27, a day after SI "released a series of letters written by an alleged victim of sexual abuse" by Panthers Owner Jerry Richardson. Becker wrote she was "deeply affected by what I have read, especially this week." She added steps "have been implemented to improve the culture in 'our workplace'" (CHARLOTTE OBSERVER, 5/10).
