More than 3,700 people have signed an online petition calling for Carolina Panthers David Tepper to sell the franchise.
Joey Blethen started the petition on New Year’s Day, and it has 3,790 signatures.
It comes after the NFL fined Tepper $300,000 for throwing a drink on Sunday at fans in Jacksonville. The Panthers lost to the Jaguars 26-0.
“I am deeply passionate about this team and regret my behavior on Sunday,” Tepper said in a statement. “I should have let NFL stadium security handle any issues that arose. I respect the NFL’s code of conduct and accept the League’s discipline for my behavior.”
The Panthers are 31-67 since 2018, which is the year Tepper bought the franchise. It’s the NFL’s worst record during that timespan.
In the 2023 season, the Panthers have a 2-14 record heading into the regular-season finale against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Panthers fired head coach Frank Reich in late November. Chris Tabor has served as the team’s interim coach since Reich’s firing.
“Simply put, his ownership tenure has been an embarrassment to this franchise and the Carolina Panthers Fans deserve better leadership,” the petition reads in part.
The NFL’s personal conduct policy states: “Everyone who is part of the league must refrain from ‘conduct detrimental to the integrity of and public confidence in’ the NFL. This includes owners, coaches, players, other team employees, game officials, and employees of the league office, NFL Films, NFL Network, or any other NFL business.”
It is possible to remove an NFL owner. However, no owner has ever been removed in the history of the league.
WRAL anchor/reporter Dan Haggerty contributed to this report.
