Carolina Panthers

[Dale]

Panthers simply can't hang with the Saints.

[RiverwoodCLT]

Surprise,  Panthers won 31 to 24.

[Dale]

Gut-check win.

[KJHburg]

Great win against a tough team and my Vikings fan friend was not happy but she had a good time

 

[AuLukey]

9 wins this year=winning season... I’ll be betting against the Panthers next year

[Hunted]

I’ll be at the game on Christmas Eve against TB.

[KJHburg]

WSOCTV is reporting there is an internal investigation into sexual harassment with the Panthers and Jerry Richardson specifically.  

http://www.fox46charlotte.com/news/panthers-owner-jerry-richardson-being-investigated-for-alleged-workplace-misconduct

Edited December 15, 2017 by KJHburg

[Dale]

The "disturbing allegations" against Richardson seem to center on his penchant for oggling women in tight jeans.  Inappropriate, IMO, but basically we're all living in Salem right now.

[CriticalT]

1 hour ago, Dale said:

The "disturbing allegations" against Richardson seem to center on his penchant for oggling women in tight jeans.  Inappropriate, IMO, but basically we're all living in Salem right now.

Basically we're less than two weeks  away from  living in 2018 and sexual harassment and racism in the workplace isn't tolerated.  

Big Win today.   

Edited December 17, 2017 by CriticalT

[Dale]

17 minutes ago, CriticalT said:

Basically we're less than two weeks  away from  living in 2018 and sexual harassment and racism in the workplace isn't tolerated.  

Big Win today.   

Even if it's not happening. 

Agree on the win, but hearing back to 2015: rolling to comfortable leads, relaxing, having to dig deep to preserve the win.

[Durhamite]

1 hour ago, Dale said:

The "disturbing allegations" against Richardson seem to center on his penchant for oggling women in tight jeans.  Inappropriate, IMO, but basically we're all living in Salem right now.

This is exactly why we're in Salem, minimizing extremely inappropriate and distasteful actions by an entitled group of people.  If you thinks  that is all to the story, "bless ya heart".

[Dale]

5 minutes ago, Durhamite said:

This is exactly why we're in Salem, minimizing extremely inappropriate and distasteful actions by an entitled group of people.  If you thinks  that is all to the story, "bless ya heart".

Does this mean you need more of a story since you don't believe oggling jeans amounts to much, honey bunch ? 

BTW, wouldn't it be ironic if it turned out the Duke lacrosse players were the only sports figures not guilty of sexual malfeasance ?

 

 

[jednc]

Richardson has just announced he will put the Panthers up for sale at the end of this season.

Edited December 18, 2017 by jednc
Adding more info

[AuLukey]

This is a sad day for Charlotte football

 

Be ready for the new owners to push for a new stadium “or they’ll move.” Now that this sale is official, it’s just a matter of when, not if.

[cltbwimob]

I don't know...A move could happen, but the stadium is in good enough condition that some Hard Rock stadium style improvements like sideline suites and super lux seating as well as a few of the other upgrades that the Panthers wanted in their original deal should be enough to ensure the stadium is viable for the next 25 years or so.  I think that new ownership will have them playing in Charlotte for a few more years until the dust from the sale settles.  At a minimum they are contractually obligated to play in Charlotte through next year.  One thing is for sure, the city has got to be proactive  and be ready to propose something to the new ownership group before the new stadium bug bites.

Edited December 18, 2017 by cltbwimob

[KJHburg]

With all the problems NFL has now I would not expect any kind of talk about a move.  The NFL has viewership and attendance problems that need to be solved. 2 teams in the LA market really struggling, fans mad over  many things etc  I think the NFL needs to fix its house before allowing any teams to relocate.   However the best scenario is  local group which several are and have been interested.  Marcus Smith is one of them and now that MLS is off the table here for a while I expect their family to go after the team.  Plus we have some others that could chip in for the team to keep it here.  

Story from the Business Journal

https://www.bizjournals.com/charlotte/news/2017/12/17/carolina-panthers-to-be-sold-at-end-of-2017-season.html?ana=e_clt_bn&u=oAaDx%2B74FoP4qOJ%2By4AU6dhJPpc&t=1513560915&j=79357471

Edited December 18, 2017 by KJHburg

[hambone931]

44 minutes ago, jednc said:

Richardson has just announced he will put the Panthers up for sale at the end of this season.

“If you don’t like what’s being said, change the conversation.” 

-Don Draper

[cltbwimob]

http://www.espn.com/blog/nfcsouth/post/_/id/60100/carolina-panthers-ownership-at-a-glance

This is somewhat encouraging.  The rest of the ownership group aside from Jerry Richardson is a who's who of Charlotte and Carolina business figures including members of the Harris, Bissell, Levine, and Belk families as well as other members of the Richardson family and Erskine Bowles.  Supposedly Jerry's stake in the team is a minority (48%) stake meaning the other owners have a controlling stake of 52% (this is according to Wikipedia, so take it FWIW).  If Jerry sells his stake only, and none of his family members sell, the person who purchases his stake will not have controlling equity in the team, and I suspect the other 14 minority owners, most of whom are Charlotte residents and all of whom reside in the Carolinas would block an effort to move the team.  Now if the other members of the Richardson family sell their stake, then all bets are off.

[Norm2]

1 hour ago, KJHburg said:

With all the problems NFL has now I would not expect any kind of talk about a move.  The NFL has viewership and attendance problems that need to be solved. 2 teams in the LA market really struggling, fans mad over  many things etc  I think the NFL needs to fix its house before allowing any teams to relocate.   However the best scenario is  local group which several are and have been interested.  Marcus Smith is one of them and now that MLS is off the table here for a while I expect their family to go after the team.  Plus we have some others that could chip in for the team to keep it here.  

Story from the Business Journal

https://www.bizjournals.com/charlotte/news/2017/12/17/carolina-panthers-to-be-sold-at-end-of-2017-season.html?ana=e_clt_bn&u=oAaDx%2B74FoP4qOJ%2By4AU6dhJPpc&t=1513560915&j=79357471

I really hope the Smith family doesn't get the team.....

[R.Talbott]

Panthers aren’t going anywhere for a while. Logistics don’t make sense, and the Chargers failure in LA is a prime example.  Panthers are one of the most profitable sports franchises in the world, and they do not have attendance or TV viewership issues like many NFL teams do.   NFL owners have to approve the move and the relocation fee alone is ginormous.  That doesn’t include buying the team (well over $1 billion), relocation (like $650 million) and potential new stadium at new city ($1 billion +).  Getting an ownership group together to buy Richardson’s 48%, then more upgrades for the stadium to last it another 10-15 years is much more feasible. 

[KJHburg]

And yes Johnny Harris is a minority owner of the Panthers and I know he would work with other people interested in keeping the team in Charlotte.  He is a member of Augusta National and with his business contacts throughout the region and nation he could find people interested in buying into the team and keeping them here.  

The NFL has so many problems right now they can't allow a move to happen and alienate even more fans.   Plus there is the upcoming Raiders move to Vegas and that remains to be seen if it will work out ( I think it will) but the LA team moves are disasters. 

[QCxpat]

Link to Story in The New York Times, December 17, 2017 (Top Stories):  https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/17/sports/football/panthers-nfl-jerry-richardson-owner.html

Panthers estimated to be worth $2.3 Billion.   

Excerpt from The Times article below:

"The sale of the Panthers will be the first of an N.F.L. team since 2014. The Buffalo Bills were the last team to be sold, after their founding owner, Ralph Wilson died. The team went for a $1.4 billion, a record at the time for an N.F.L. team.

The Panthers are likely to sell for far more. The team owns its own stadium, has been more successful on the field, has a dynamic quarterback in his prime in Newton, and plays in a larger and faster-growing market. The league has also grown significantly since 2014. According to Forbes, the Panthers are worth $2.3 billion."

"By offering to sell the team, Richardson has saved the N.F.L. from a potential confrontation and an investigation that could have damaged the league’s image at a time of heightened anger over sexual harassment. Under the league’s constitution, owners can lose their clubs for acts “detrimental to the league.” Still, it’s somewhat surprising that the N.F.L. — known for its deliberate approach to any major change — and Richardson reacted so quickly and so dramatically to allegations of workplace misconduct."

Edited December 18, 2017 by QCxpat

[mad_park]

Agree that the stadium will be the biggest issue for a new owner coming in. They'll need new revenue sources to cover their high purchase price.  There has been talk of the land off of morehead to use for parking (and perhaps a future stadium). I also think a Hard Rock style renovation would be a good idea and give 15-20 years of additional life to the current stadium.

[grodney]

Something doesn't seem quite right here....during yesterday's broadcast:

 

[DMann]

OMG that’s the Observer!