NFL Carolina Panthers

Carolina Panthers’ Jerry Richardson is Exactly What’s Wrong with the NFL

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By @stphnwyatt2

Carolina Panthers Move On

Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

It would be easy to root for the Carolina Panthers if you were not familiar with their owner, Jerry Richardson, the lone owner still connected to the early days of the NFL.

The truth is Richardson embodies everything that is wrong with pro football. His handling of Panthers defensive end Greg Hardy‘s conviction of domestic violence was atrocious. He ignored the court’s verdict of guilty and allowed Hardy to remain on the roster until public sentiment finally prevailed over the owner’s stubbornness. His tearful message against domestic violence on Sept. 10, prior to declaring Hardy inactive, proved how much of a hypocrite the owner is.

Ray Rice was never convicted of a crime, yet his reputation was smeared through the mud because of  a videotape. The Panthers’ organization pretended as if Hardy’s incident never occurred and probably would have been successful, if not for the Rice video.

Richardson wants to win at any cost. He is an old man who has little time left to see the organization he built win a championship. He already has stated that the team will be sold following his death to someone outside his family, changing his original plan of leaving the team to his son.

He is extremely private, which is understandable except that his silence provides shelter from questions regarding team personnel matters. Despite his silence with the press and season-ticket holders, he has no problem taking $87.5 million for renovations to a stadium less than 20 years old. This conveniently corresponded with an extension from the city of Charlotte.

The Panthers’ owner may be a hypocrite, but he is not stupid. Richardson is involved in many charitable causes, most of which bear his name on the front door. Like Roger Goodell, he understands the importance of portraying a positive image in public, even if his actions in cases such as Greg Hardy, Steve Smith, Fred Lane and Rae Carruth are contrary to his public persona.

That type of hypocrisy and corruption is exactly what’s wrong with the NFL today.

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