Scott Fowler on the Panthers possibly being relocated, Sunday being one of the weirdest days covering the team and Diddy being the new owner.
The last few days have been a whirlwind for Charlotte after the Sports Illustrated report on accusations of harassment against Carolina Panthers owner Jerry Richardson. The CharlotteFive podcast welcomed Charlotte Observer sports columnist Scott Fowler to the show to discuss what this all means for the team and the city.
Also, Fowler recently published a list of advice for the new Panthers owner to follow for a smooth transition.
Click right below to listen to the full podcast. Farther down are small excerpts from the interview.
Are the Panthers going to be relocated?
“My ultimate thought would be they won’t. If I were betting the house, I would bet on staying, but that’s not an absolute sure thing. It’s not insurmountable for a new owner to move a team, but they would need a majority of NFL owners to agree that it needs to be moved. The Panthers have sold out the stadium 15 years in a row; it’s a very good market. Ultimately, I think it would be simpler, because they do have a good stadium to play in, for the new owner to run this as a turnkey operation.”
What was the vibe in the stadium on Sunday when the Sports Illustrated article on the accusations against Richardson was released right before kickoff?
“Very weird. I’ve covered the team since inception when it began in 1995, and it had to be one of the three weirdest, more bizarre (moments) in Panthers history. The Sports Illustrated bombshell report came out maybe 10 minutes before kickoff. Reporters were all, sort of, feverishly reading it in the press box, as the game had begun. Same with fans in the stands. You could see a lot of people looking down at their phones. In the meantime, Jerry Richardson is in his box, watching the game as usual from the end zone.”
Who could buy this team?
“That’s probably what people are most interested in going forward because that makes a big difference. They’re not putting it on sale (until) the season is over. Could be in January, unless they reach the Super Bowl, which means the last day they could play would be around February 4. At that point, it’s sale time.”
What about Diddy and Steph Curry?
“Absolutely not. It costs nothing to say on Twitter that you’re interested, so I think we’ll see even more of that. Not to say that Steph Curry couldn’t be a small investor in a team. Although, as a current day player it normally doesn’t happen. Diddy? Uh, no. That’s just for fun. I think it’s a [public relations] thing.”
A post shared by Diddy (@diddy) on Dec 17, 2017 at 5:47pm PST
I️ want in! https://t.co/XvvC1vo7xI
— Stephen Curry (@StephenCurry30) December 18, 2017
Richardson has yet to directly address the accusations against him. Do you think he will ever do that?
“No, at least not in a Q&A format (like) this. He would not do that. I think he would be advised not to do that by many people. Well, no and yes. Yes, in that he will issue a carefully worded statement at some point. It might not be until after the NFL probe is over, or it might be today. The story has taken so many twists, it’s hard to say. I think at some point he’ll say something, either apologize or defend himself. Doing nothing, in a case like this, you are doing something. It’s your choice. You are doing nothing and letting people just speculate and say whatever they want. If you want to control the narrative a little bit about your legacy, you have to say something if you’re Jerry Richardson at some point.”
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The CharlotteFive Podcast — presented by The Charlotte Observer and powered by OrthoCarolina — is a weekly podcast that aims to get you Charlotte Smart, Fast with fun, interesting and useful news about the city. It’s co-hosted by Sean Clark-Weis and Sallie Funderburk and is a production of the Charlotte Observer and 2WAVES Media.
You can follow us on Twitter @CharlotteFive, on Instagram @cltfive, and on Facebook, and you can shoot us an email to charlottefive@charlottefive.com.
Photos: Charlotte Observer file photos, Diddy
This story was originally published December 19, 2017 at 11:00 PM with the headline "Scott Fowler on the Panthers possibly being relocated, Sunday being one of the weirdest days covering the team and Diddy being the new owner.."