Which Carolina Panthers news stories are hitting the headlines as attention turns to their regular-season finale against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers?
Another day, another debacle. That is par for the course where the Carolina Panthers and their inept owner David Tepper have been concerned in recent months. Instead of cracking down on the billionaire's behavior, the NFL seemed to enable it after almost 48 hours of radio silence following his despicable disregard for fans in Week 17.
The headlines kept coming, and most of them weren't good. Among the stories causing debate include Jonathan Mingo's setback, protecting Bryce Young, Tepper's punishment, and a weak statement offering no accountability whatsoever.
Let's delve into each topic in more detail.
Carolina Panthers place Jonathan Mingo on IR
Jonathan Mingo's underwhelming rookie campaign was brought to an abrupt halt on Tuesday. The Carolina Panthers placed the wide receiver on injured reserve with a foot injury, meaning he won't feature in their final game in Week 18 versus the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Mingo failed to make an immediate impact more often than not. He flashed impressive traits, but questionable route-running and a perceived lack of effort on occasion mean there is a lot of hard work ahead during the offseason once he's medically cleared to participate.
The second-round pick out of Ole Miss brought in just 50.6 percent of his targets for 418 receiving yards and zero touchdowns. Considering how other rookie wideouts have thrived around the league, the jury is still out as to whether Carolina made the right call.
Carolina Panthers must protect Bryce Young
Bryce Young is going through it right now. The rookie quarterback is taking severe punishment behind a suspect offensive line. With one game remaining, another call has been made for the Carolina Panthers to protect their No. 1 overall pick.
Schuyler Callihan from Sports Illustrated highlighted the need to sit Young in Week 18 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The risk of potential injury is too great in a meaningless contest. Something the writer believes should lead those in power to start veteran backup Andy Dalton for their 2023 season finale.
"There are some situations, like the one this Sunday, where it makes sense to protect your most valuable asset. I know that may sound like I'm anointing Young as the top player on the Panthers' roster…he's not. He's the most valuable because of how much the organization had to give up to get him. This HAS to work and the last thing you can afford on top of all the other drama currently surrounding the organization is to have your franchise quarterback sustain an injury in a meaningless game the week you open the lid on the head coaching search. What's the point of throwing him out there on Sunday? To end the season on a strong note? No one cares. Here in a couple of months he's going to be operating in an entirely new offense with several new faces surrounding him. It's not worth the risk, plain and simple."Schuyler Callihan, Sports Illustrated
It's a feasible notion and Callihan made some good points. Those in power seem determined to ride things out for good or bad, so expect Young to be under center once again as the former Alabama star looks to salvage some positivity heading into another critical offseason for the franchise.
Carolina Panthers owners David Tepper fined
As if this season wasn't embarrassing enough for the Carolina Panthers. Team owner David Tepper brought further disgrace on the franchise he's seemingly intent on ruining by throwing his drink in the direction of Jacksonville Jaguars fans after their shutout loss in Week 17.
Almost two days later, we finally heard from somebody regarding the matter. This was the NFL's big chance to rein in Tepper. Instead, they issued a measly $300,000 fine with no game suspension. There was also a brief statement issued by the league via USA Today Sports.
"The National Football League today fined Carolina Panthers’ chairman David Tepper $300,000 for his unacceptable conduct in Jacksonville during Sunday’s game. All NFL personnel are expected to conduct themselves at all times in ways that respect our fans and favorably reflect on their team and the NFL."NFL statement via USA Today Sports
This brought bemusement and ridicule from fans and analysts in the decision's immediate aftermath. For context, fining someone $300,000 with Tepper's wealth is akin to a person worth $100,000 getting $1.50 taken off them.
Whether this will be enough for Tepper to alter his demeanor and attitude is debatable. He's shown his true colors on countless occasions throughout his disastrous ownership. Getting a minor slap on the wrist for such a pathetic act of petulance sets a dangerous precedent.
Carolina Panthers issue weak statement
Almost immediately after the fine had been announced regarding David Tepper's drink-throwing incident, the Carolina Panthers released a statement of their own. This had the owner's fingerprints all over it.
Tepper offered no apology. He deflected blame. The hedge fund manager stated via FOX Sports an acceptance regarding the punishment as if he had some sort of choice in the matter. It lends further weight to his arrogance and complete disregard for the paying public.
"I am deeply passionate about this team and regret my behavior on Sunday. I should have let NFL stadium security handle any issues that arose. I respect the NFL’s code of conduct and accept the League’s discipline for my behavior."David Tepper statement via FOX Sports
This was an absolute disgrace in all honesty. It's complete double standards about what's acceptable behavior for players and owners. But as we all know, the NFL doesn't like upsetting ownership. After all, they're the ones that keep commissioner Roger Goodell in post with a whopping annual salary of $63.9 million.
It was a minimal fine. The NFL has a big problem on its hands with Tepper if he doesn't change his ways. This saga will also make it more difficult to convince Carolina's primary head coaching targets when the upcoming cycle commences in the coming days.
If Tepper cared so passionately about the Panthers, he wouldn't be running the franchise into the ground.