Carolina Panthers sale to David Tepper official; COO resigns

While it was approved by the NFL in May, the sale of the Carolina Panthers to David Tepper closed on Monday.

The 2018 season will be a historic one for the Carolina Panthers as it will be the first time in the franchise’s history that Jerry Richardson will not be the team’s owner. Amidst scandal, Richardson announced in December that he would be selling the franchise and the sale was made official with the sale to David Tepper closing.

Tepper, was well known within the NFL circle as he was a minority owner of the Pittsburgh Steelers, and quickly emerged as a front runner. He eventually was awarded the franchise for a record price tag of $2.2 billion dollars. This was substantially more than the previous record of $1.4 billion, which Terry Pegula paid for the Buffalo Bills a few years earlier.

While the deal officially closed on Monday, the biggest hurdle was cleared on May 22nd when the owners approved the purchase at the NFL Spring meetings.

According to the team’s site, Tepper said: “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. I look forward to being part of the Panthers’ family and to supporting this flourishing region.”

This is good news for an organization that has been successful over the past five years with four playoff appearances. However, the one thing that has alluded the franchise is a Super Bowl victory.

The other Panthers news on Monday, was the team announcing Tina Becker would be stepping down as Chief Operating Officer. Becker was promoted to COO in December when Richardson stepped away from the Panthers and announced the sale of the franchise. She had spent 19 years with the franchise in a number of positions and the Panthers announced that there would be no immediate replacement at this time.