Carolina Panthers 8 most franchise-changing offseason moments

Panthers franchise-changing moment No. 7: Jerry Richardson selling the team in 2018

After a sexual misconduct lawsuit in 2017 that he was involved in, Jerry Richardson decided it was best to sell the Carolina organization to Pittsburgh Steelers minority owner David Tepper.

Since Tepper took over the franchise, the team on the field has struggled to find success. That does not fall entirely on the owner, as the team was trending towards a rebuild when he took over. But it still is not a good look when you have yet to come close to a winning season entering year five as the head of a football team.

The choice to hire Matt Rhule was Tepper’s, and that decision seems to have not paid off up to this point. The team looks lost a lot of the time on the field under Rhule. And he struggles to adjust in-game.

Not only have on-field struggles been the big mark on Tepper’s ownership, but his mishandling of Newton’s departure left the franchise quarterback, Carolina players, and fans sour. Those two combined have led to the Panther’s attendance rate dropping year by year.

Despite the lack of success, releasing Newton, and the apathy from fans, he was doing a solid job as an owner on the business side of things. That is until the Rock Hill practice facility fell through due to the city of Rock Hill not providing the bonds and financing they promised Tepper. The failure of Rock Hill does not fully fall on Tepper, but he does have to take some blame for what happened.

His tenure as the owner of the Carolina Panthers has been a rocky one so far. But Tepper can get back into good graces by having a winning season and securing new amenities such as a stadium and practice facility in the Charlotte area.