Carolina Panthers Removing Statue Of Former Owner Jerry Richardson

When Jerry Richardson sold the Carolina Panthers to David Tepper, one of the parts of the deal was that the statue of Richardson had to stay in front of the stadium. On Wednesday, it was announced that the organization would be removing the statue.

In a statement on Twitter, the Panthers said that they would be removing the statue. “We were aware of the most recent conversation surrounding the Jerry Richardson statue and are concerned there may be attempts to take it down. We are moving the statue in the interest of public safety.”

Richardson owned the Panthers from 1995-2017. He sold the team, because the league was looking into allegations of sexual and racial misconduct by Richardson. Sports Illustrated reported in 2017 that Richardson used a racial slur toward a black team scout, among other things. The NFL subsequently fined Richardson $2.75 million following an investigation.