David Tepper doing his bit to get Panthers back to prominence
By Dean Jones
How Tepper is changing the Carolina Panthers
David Tepper went into this situation with his eyes wide open. He knew it was going to take a substantial amount of financial resources and forward-thinking to make the Carolina Panthers an industry leader both on and off the field, two elements he happens to possess in abundance.
It’s not been easy, not by any stretch of the imagination. Tepper gave the seal of approval for the Panthers to completely overhaul their roster and get rid of star quarterback Cam Newton, which he freely admitted was an emotional call that moved his wife to tears.
Business and football are very similar.
Tough calls need to be made in pursuit of bigger and better things and although there is no doubt Carolina should’ve handled Newton’s departure differently, it was done with the best intentions and with the organization’s long-term strategy in mind.
Tepper is getting it done off the field with all the infrastructure and permission needed to get the Rock Hill HQ project off the ground. If everything goes as expected, the site should be ready by 2023 and the owner will want his team challenging for honors by this point.
That is only fair when someone is dishing out the sort of money Tepper is. There is clearly a better culture around the place at the moment under the new regime, even if they appear to be a little off in terms of quality on the field.