Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles said on Monday that quarterback Baker Mayfield’s ribs were sore, but that he would be fine to play in Sunday’s game against the Panthers.
That outlook is looking like less of a sure thing on Wednesday. The Buccaneers held a walkthrough rather than a full practice and Bowles said that Mayfield, who was injured on a hit by Saints safety Tyrann Mathieu on a late two-point conversion in a 23-13 Bucs loss, would not have taken part in practice if the team had held a regular session.
Mayfield spoke to reporters and said he will “do everything” he can in order to be in lineup this weekend. The Buccaneers win the NFC South with a win over Carolina.
If Mayfield cannot practice on Thursday, Kyle Trask will get the first-team work and he would also be in line to start if Mayfield can’t go on Sunday.
Last year, when the NFL determined that the Dolphins had tampered with coach Sean Payton and quarterback Tom Brady, the NFL imposed staggering penalties on owner Stephen Ross: $1.5 million fine, loss of a first-round pick, and a suspension that went from early August until the middle of October.
This year, when the NFL (and everyone else) determined that Panthers owner David Tepper threw a drink onto customers in Jacksonville, the NFL fined Tepper a mere $300,000.
Apart from the double standard that applies to player and owner punishment, why did the NFL impose such dramatically different penalties on Ross and Tepper?
The message could be a simple one. If you mess with one of us, we’ll get you. If you mess with one of them, no big deal.
Really, which infraction is worse? Getting caught engaging in the kind of all’s-fair business stuff that happens on a regular basis without scrutiny or punishment or blowing a gasket and acting like a spoiled child who is unable to control his most basic emotions?
Hell, Tepper didn’t even apologize for what he did. Look at his statement: “I am deeply passionate about this team and regret my behavior on Sunday. 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.”
It was a not-so-subtle way of claiming that he had been provoked by a rowdy fan who had crossed the line, before Tepper jumped over it. Instead of using that as a front-line defense, Tepper implied that the fan did or said something that merited the response.
That’s not the way any owner should ever respond. Again, what’s worse? The common infraction of tampering or the uncommon act of throwing a drink on someone else?
The respective punishments imposed on Ross and Tepper show the difference in how they view themselves, and in how they view everyone else.
Fifteen years ago, it cost an owner $250,000 to show his middle fingers at a game. Today, the price has been set for pouring a drink on fans at a game.
The $300,000 fine imposed on Panthers owner David Tepper is laughable. He’s worth $20.6 billion. The fine equates to 0.00146 percent of his entire net worth.
Putting that in context, it’s the equivalent of fining someone worth $1 million dollars the staggering sum of (checks math again) $14.56.
It’s a joke. It’s a disgrace. It’s the latest sign of the double standard that applies to players and to owners.
The Patriots and Panthers have banned fans from their stadiums who threw drinks. That’s a real punishment. A short-term suspension of the owner would be a real punishment. Dipping into the pockets of one of the richest men in the NFL for the fart-in-the-breeze sum of $300,000 does nothing to truly punish Tepper for acting like a spoiled brat.
The situation underscores the reality the NFL faces, at a time when franchise values are skyrocketing. The only test for joining the club is whether you can afford the team. There’s no requirement to know anything about football. There’s no requirement to be not a jerk.
Think of it this way. For all the anti-social things Daniel Snyder did during his time as an NFL owner, even he didn’t throw a drink on the league’s customers. That’s where Tepper is.
Without a true correction on his conduct, he won’t stop. Maybe, at some point, he’ll do something that forces the league to force him out of Club Oligarch. Until that happens, however, Panthers fans will be stuck with someone who would, under the right (or wrong) circumstances, throw a drink on them and gladly surrender 0.00146 percent of his net worth.
The Panthers added a kicker after ending up without one Sunday.
Matthew Wright, who was in Carolina for the preseason, signed to the practice squad Tuesday, the team announced. The Panthers are expected to elevate Wright to the active roster for Sunday’s game if needed.
The Panthers didn’t have a kicker after Eddy Pineiro experienced hamstring tightness in pregame warmups. Kamu Grugier-Hill kicked off to open the game, but the Panthers were shut out 26-0, so they didn’t have to use punter Johnny Hekker for extra points or field goals.
Wright signed with the Panthers on Aug. 8 with Pineiro dealing with a minor injury in training camp, but the team cut Wright out of the preseason.
He has spent time on the practice squads of the 49ers, Falcons and Patriots this season, but he hasn’t appeared in game.
Wright is 40-of-46 on field goal attempts in his career, during stints with the Steelers, Jaguars and Chiefs.
The NFL fined Panthers owner David Tepper $300,000 for his “unacceptable conduct” in Jacksonville during Sunday’s game.
“All NFL personnel are expected to conduct themselves at all times in ways that respect our fans and favorably reflect on their team and the NFL,” the NFL said in a statement.
A video posted on social media Sunday showed Tepper throwing a drink into the stands from his open-air suite at EverBank Stadium following an interception thrown by Panthers rookie quarterback Bryce Young.
Tepper finally responded with a statement after the NFL announced the fine, but he did not apologize for his action.
“I am deeply passionate about this team and regret my behavior on Sunday,” he said in the 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.”
On Nov. 26, Panthers beat reporters heard Tepper yell an expletive as he exited the locker room following a Week 12 loss. He fired coach Frank Reich the next day.
The Panthers have had six consecutive losing seasons since Tepper paid $2.75 billion for the team in 2018, and he has fired three head coaches in-season since 2019.
