Carolina Panthers owner David Tepper sat down with some members of the media early Monday evening to address a wide variety of topics and answer questions. However, there were certain boundaries given:
No audio or video recordings were allowed; questions about the future of head coach Ron Rivera and general manager Marty Hurney were not allowed; when discussing the meeting in future reports, no direct quotes from Tepper were allowed, only generalities.
Here are some of the topics and what was discussed at the nearly hour-long meeting:- When a new stadium is eventually built, which could be as far away as 10 years, it’s very unlikely the Panthers will play elsewhere until the completion of the new stadium. That means the team will play at Bank of America Stadium, while a new stadium is being built elsewhere.
- The most logical choice for a new stadium is the current location of Charlotte Pipe & Foundry, which is just a short distance from the stadium on Morehead Street. He wants to keep any new stadium in the Uptown area.
- Tepper believes the city of Charlotte, Mecklenburg County, the fans and the team are all partners with the team. As a result, he expects the city and county to help fund any new stadium. He also believes it's his responsibility to the community to put in a substantial amount of money for the stadium.
- Tepper says a new stadium is a big investment for local governments because it brings in lots of revenue for the area, like with new jobs. The Panthers being here is a major reason why Honeywell moved recently announced the moving its headquarters to Charlotte here. The CEO of Honeywell also met with local leaders to discuss public funding for renovations to make the stadium soccer friendly.
- The Panthers didn’t go to Colin Kaepernick’s workout because the team isn’t interested in signing a veteran quarterback at this stage of the season. Tepper says he’s been pleased with the play of Kyle Allen, but wants to see continued growth from him.
- A decision on whether the team returns to Wofford for training camp will be made by February. If it’s not held in Spartanburg, it will be held at the practice fields. One major drawback of Spartanburg is that there is no bubble there for the team to practice inside when it’s too hot or raining.
- Tepper made it very clear that he will not accept long-term mediocrity. He absolutely despises losing, especially with home games, which causes him to literally lose sleep. He says its unacceptable and that, “Every time we have a loss, my mood is shi**y.” (This was the only thing we could quote him on.)
- Tepper still wants an MLS franchise and expects an answer soon.
- No decision has been made on whether Cam Newton will have surgery. Tepper would like to have Newton with the Panthers for a long time, but also understands that situations change.
