The NFL has fined Carolina Panthers proprietor David Tepper $300,000 for an incident on Sunday that noticed him throw a drink at a Jacksonville Jaguars fan, per ESPN’s David Newton. Tepper was caught on video throwing a drink at a fan in Jacksonville following the Panthers’ 26-0 loss, persevering with what has been a horrendous season on (and now off) the sphere.
The Panthers are 2-15 coming into their Week 18 sport in opposition to Tampa Bay.
Given Tepper’s internet price ($20.6 billion), the $300,000 fan is a surprisingly small slap on the wrist. Particularly when it is just $50,000 greater than that what former Tennessee Titans proprietor Bud Adams acquired for making an obscene gesture at Buffalo followers. This incident really concerned Tepper throwing one thing at followers.
Tepper additionally launched a particularly weak assertion, lastly breaking his silence 48 hours after the incident had occurred.
Tepper stated, by way of Mike Kaye of the Charlotte Observer :
“I’m deeply captivated with this group and remorse my conduct on Sunday. I ought to have let NFL stadium safety deal with any points that arose. I respect the NFL’s code of conduct and settle for the League’s self-discipline for my conduct.”
Nowhere in that assertion was an apology or something even near accountability.
Regardless of the Jaguars followers stated to Tepper, he cannot enable himself to react in such a manner. However the NFL hitting him with a nice that’s the equal to pennies for the fan who was hit by Tepper’s drink additionally does nothing to carry him accountable.
Tepper has owned the Panthers for the reason that 2018 season, and it has been a rocky highway for the franchise since then. Tepper has proven no endurance in constructing his group, is infamous for involving himself in soccer choices and has repeatedly made important strikes which have badly backfired, from head coaches to the choice to commerce a bounty of gamers and draft picks for the No. 1 total choose within the 2023 NFL Draft to pick out quarterback Bryce Younger.
That commerce noticed the Panthers hand over vast receiver D.J. Moore, their 2023 first-round choose, a number of second-round picks and the Panthers’ 2024 first-round choose that ended up being the No. 1 total choose. Given Younger’s brutal rookie season, it’s wanting like a possible all-time blunder of a commerce.
It has been one misstep after one other for Tepper. Every one turns into increasingly embarrassing.