During Panthers game, lots of Jerry Richardson talk on Twitter – and some jokes

Moments before the Carolina Panthers kicked off in a home game against the Green Bay Packers Sunday, Sports Illustrated published a story detailing sexual and racial workplace misconduct by Panthers team owner and founder Jerry Richardson.

Twitter commentary on the game – the Panthers won, 31-24 – included plenty of observations about Richardson and the Sports Illustrated report.

Richardson watched the game from his box at Bank of America Stadium, which surprised some fans. “I’m stunned that Jerry Richardson showed up to the game today,” said Twitter user @GriffinRucker.

In a column published during the game, Observer columnist Scott Fowler suggested the Sports Illustrated report signals the beginning of the end of Richardson’s ownership of the team. Several social media users had similar ideas.

One Green Bay fan, Twitter user @JDejuan2, joked that the Richardson allegations might help out the struggling Packers.

“The Panthers owner is a terrible person so they have to forfeit this game right? That’s about the only way we win this one,” he said.

After the Sports Illustrated report broke, several people remembered that the Panthers installed a nearly 13-foot statue of Richardson outside Bank of America Stadium in July 2016, when the team owner turned 80.

Twitter user @tednorris suggested that the statue should be torn down “like it’s Baghdad circa 2003.”

This story was originally published December 17, 2017 at 11:58 AM with the headline "During Panthers game, lots of Jerry Richardson talk on Twitter – and some jokes."