Tepper would like to buy 200 acres of property in Rock Hill and start construction later this yearGETTY IMAGES
Panthers Owner David Tepper said he is "happy to stay in Charlotte" if the South Carolina legislature is unwilling to give the team $115M in tax breaks for building a practice facility and team HQ in Rock Hill, S.C., according to a front-page piece by Jourdan Rodrigue of the CHARLOTTE OBSERVER. The bill "continues to struggle through the S.C. legislature and a vote was pushed" to today. Tepper said, "Hopefully at some point we get a (Major League Soccer) team and we do a lot of development with that up here [in Charlotte]. This would be great, if we could do that development down there." Rodrigue reports the Panthers want to "buy 200 acres of property in Rock Hill" and "start construction later this year" on the new facilities. The team wants to "move into the complex" in Q1 of '22. Tepper said of lawmakers postponing the vote, "They'll have to make a decision whether they want it or not ... I'll stay in Charlotte. I could stay home." South Carolina state Sen. Dick Harpootlian "blocked the incentives bill in March to force" Gov. Henry McMaster and the state Commerce Dept. to "release its projections about the deal's economic impact" for the state. Harpootlian said the Panthers' proposal "rests on a series of flawed assumptions." Today's vote is the "last day" of the '19 legislative session (CHARLOTTE OBSERVER, 5/9).
SPICING THINGS UP: Rodrigue reports former NFLer Julius Peppers was hired by the Panthers "in a front-office role, with the title of 'special assistant, business operations." Panthers VP/External Affairs Steven Drummond said Peppers' role is "part special projects on the business side and part ambassadorship." Drummond: "We are giving him an opportunity to work in several parts of our business while also helping us engage and grow our business with fans and partners." Rodrigue notes Peppers "eased into his new role" yesterday by visiting West Charlotte High School with Tepper, who was honored by the school after he "paid for the buses and hotel rooms" for the men's basketball team to travel to the state championship in Raleigh earlier this year (CHARLOTTE OBSERVER, 5/9).
