Another key Carolina Panthers executive leaves Tepper Sports
A top Tepper Sports & Entertainment executive has resigned from the organization, a TSE spokesman confirmed with The Charlotte Observer on Tuesday.
Chief Operating Officer Mark Hart’s resignation was effective as of Monday, spokesman Bruce Speight said. Hart was brought over to the Panthers in 2018 from the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Tepper hired Hart and named him vice president of development. He previously served in the same role with the Steelers.
Hart’s departure is the latest shakeup at Tepper Sports & Entertainment, owned by billionaire David Tepper.
TSE is the ownership group of the Panthers and Major League Soccer’s expansion team Charlotte FC. Nick Kelly stepped down as CEO of TSE after three months on the job, The Observer reported in May.
At the time, Kelly’s departure was the latest in a list of top employees leaving TSE in recent months, including Tom Glick who was TSE president.
Hart was considered key to the capital and infrastructural development of the organization, as well as the brand expansion of the Panthers back when he was hired along with Glick in 2018.
Problems in Rock Hill
Hart’s departure also comes in the wake of the failed Panthers practice facility and new team headquarters in Rock Hill.
Construction on the project was halted in March and contractors received stop-work orders. By June, GT Real Estate Holdings, LLC, the company Tepper established for the project, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.
The project came to a halt because of a disagreement between the city of Rock Hill and GTRE, even though construction had already started.
Although his role with the project isn’t exactly clear, Hart was a prominent voice around the facility’s construction going back to last year. He was part of a tour of the construction site last August after work had already started.
Hart went along with Tepper when the team owner visited the family who ended up selling their land for the development.
In May 2021, Hart sent an email to York County Manager David Hudspeth, asking the county work with Rock Hill and the project developer to secure bond money that, as of that date, hadn’t come from the city, the (Rock Hill) Herald reported.
Hart cited an agreement the team has with Rock Hill and county where the city would secure $225 million in bonds for infrastructure at the team headquarters and accompanying development.
Bonds were to be issued by the end of October 2020. An agreement then pushed the date back to Feb. 26 of this year, Hart wrote, but as of the email date the bonds still hadn’t been secured. “Unfortunately the funding for the infrastructure remains at a crossroads,” he wrote in the May 6 email.
Without the $225 million in bonds there is “a high risk necessary infrastructure objectives will not be met,” Hart wrote.
Stadium switch to turf
Hart also played a role in Bank of America Stadium’s switch from natural grass to artificial turf.
The decision was reached in large part due to the increase in events with the introduction of a full MLS season in 2022, the Observer reported last year.
Up to 30 professional games a year will be played in the stadium, in addition to the concerts, college football games and other events Bank of America Stadium is planning to host.
The 25-year-old stadium was also undergoing soccer-related enhancements ahead of Charlotte FC’s first season. The $50 million in upgrades was going toward renovations at the entrance gates and a new lounge.
Observer reporter Ellis Williams contributed to this report.
This story was originally published July 19, 2022 at 4:26 PM.
