Tepper is expected to put the Panthers logo at midfield for the team’s first regular-season home gameGETTY IMAGES
When new NFL Panthers Owner David Tepper officially took over the team in July, he "vowed to change the culture," and he is "already shaking it up, doing things his way," according to Steve Reed of the AP. Tepper is "quickly becoming a popular figure in the Charlotte area." The Panthers wore "two different uniform combinations in their first two preseason home games and there's talk of possibly incorporating a black helmet into the mix" -- a look former team Owner Jerry Richardson "would never go for." Tepper is also "expected to put the Panthers logo at midfield for the team's first regular-season home game; Richardson always made sure the NFL shield was at midfield." Unlike Richardson, who "kept out of the spotlight, Tepper exudes the feel of an ordinary guy." Prior to the Panthers' first preseason game, he "tailgated with fans." Meanwhile, Tepper last week hired Tom Glick away from EPL club Manchester City to become the team's new president, and he said that Glick "will bring a 'new perspective' to the organization -- with an eye toward bringing" an MLS team to the Carolinas (AP, 8/28). USA TODAY's Nancy Armour writes Tepper is "shaping up to be the kind of owner" fans would be if they "had an NFL team." Tepper "can't rid the NFL of its No Fun League label on his own, but he's a start" (USA TODAY, 8/29).
