Is the Panthers' David Tepper the new worst owner in the NFL?
When former Washington Commanders owner Dan Snyder finally abdicated from his throne, a spot opened for the title of "worst owner in the NFL."
While names like Mark Davis of the Raiders or Jimmy Haslam of the Browns come to mind as primary candidates for the distinction, Carolina Panthers owner David Tepper has officially thrown his hat in the ring after firing head coach Frank Reich after just games 11 games and a single win on Monday.
"Winning is the most important thing both on the field and in the community, and I am committed to winning a Super Bowl championship together," Tepper said when he purchased the team in July 2018.
Unfortunately for Panther fans, the situation has devolved under the 66-year-old hedge fund mogul.
Mike Sando of "The Athletic," posted on "X," some highlights of the Tepper-era so far, both on the field and in the community.
Tepper's now whiffed on back-to-back head coach choices in Matt Rhule and Reich, and is earning a reputation that won't help attract the best talent to the organization.
Between full-time and interim head coaches, the Panthers are set to be led by their sixth coach in as many seasons (while his MLS team Charlotte FC searches for its third head man in three seasons despite their first-ever playoff appearance), per Scott Fowler of "The Charlotte Observer."
Tepper's combination of a quick trigger for termination and hands-on approach as an owner isn't something that's likely to attract top coaches, who won't want to come to Carolina simply to become Tepper's scapegoat and be unceremoniously dumped in the middle of a season if the situation turns sour.
Off of the field, Tepper's relationship with fans took a hit after the collapse of his plans to build a state-of-the-art practice facility for the Panthers in Rock Hill, South Carolina; which he reached a $20M settlement with the city for in Nov 2022.
While Tepper's regime doesn't quite have as dysfunctional of a reputation as Davis in Las Vegas or Haslam in Cleveland, he's still relatively new to NFL ownership. There's the possibility he'll learn from his mistakes and let the football people make the football decisions going forward.
But based on his body of work, Panthers fans might need to brace themselves for the dark days to drag on for a while.
More must-reads: