It was announced Sunday that the owner of the Carolina Panthers team, Jerry Richardson, would put the team up for sale, according to a Panther’s website, which accused of misconduct against Richardson. The Panthers made the announcement on their Twitter page, which was linked to the team’s website. The statement said in part that Richardson had “No Greater Mission” than “bringing an NFL franchise to Charlotte.”
Richardson, 81, said that “The team has become an integral part of our community, the stadium since its inauguration in the best conditions. Football is also an integral part of my life, and every day I have the blessing of making Carolina my home, and I’ll never be able to pay everyone for the kindness and generosity. I think it’s time to turn the franchise into a new ownership, so I’ll put the team up for sale at the end of this NFL season, we will not start the sales process, nor will we handle requests to the last part ”
Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles issued a statement on Twitter on Sunday afternoon that “the Panthers are part of Charlotte’s plot. We hope to work with current and future ownership”.
CBS Sports writes that the team would first call an outside law firm to conduct an internal investigation. The trial was to be overseen by Erskine Bowles, the main owner and former White House chief of staff. However, on Sunday morning, the NFL said it plans to continue the investigation. The news comes after an investigation into allegations of workplace misconduct by Richardson, reports CBS Sports.
Shortly after the NFL decision, Sports Illustrated omitted a detailed article that listed a number of different allegations against Richardson, including a variety of strange and totally inappropriate things that would involve women in the workplace. Richardson’s statement on Sunday did not mention the investigation directly.
Richardson concluded, “I hope everyone in this organization on and off the field will be firmly focused on one mission: to play and win the Super Bowl, though I will no longer be the owner of the team but I will be the forever fan of Panthers.”