Fire Matt Rhule chant makes its way to Hornets game from Panthers’ stadium
You don’t need to sit in the stands at Bank of America Stadium to understand how vocal Charlotteans are about the job Matt Rhule is doing coaching the Carolina Panthers.
The “Fire Matt Rhule!” chant that broke out during the Panthers’ home loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Dec. 26 — and the boos heard from the stands as the team walked off the field after — have migrated to Spectrum Center.
Late in the Charlotte Hornets’ 140-111 blowout of the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday night, Hornets fans from high in the 200 section started chanting for Rhule’s dismissal, as captured by user @MikeKellyFV on Twitter.
Rhule, who is 10-22 in almost two full seasons as an NFL head coach, hasn’t yet had the success turning the Panthers around as he did in college at Temple and Baylor. But Panthers players have repeatedly gone to bat for their coach after games this season, including quarterback Cam Newton, who Rhule benched in favor of Sam Darnold as the starter for this past Sunday’s game at New Orleans.
The Panthers hired Rhule on a seven-year contract worth more than $60 million when he was hired in January 2020, and it remains unlikely that he will be let go before a third season.
The Panthers close their season at Tampa Bay at 4:25 p.m. Sunday on CBS.
