On Sunday, a video emerged of what appears to be Panthers owner David Tepper throwing his drink into the crowd at Jacksonville. We’ve asked both the NFL and the Panthers for comment.
The league said it is “aware of the video,” but that it has “no further comment at this time.”
The Panthers have not yet responded to a request for comment.
It’s unclear what, if anything, the league will do. The NFL at times says that owners are held to a higher standard than players. If that’s the case, Tepper should face some sort of punishment, if the video shows what it seems to show — Tepper dumping the contents of his drink indiscriminately onto Jaguars fans.
Panthers outside linebacker Marquis Haynes Sr. did not travel with his teammates back to Charlotte after their loss to the Jaguars.
Instead, according to the Panthers, Haynes will remain in a Jacksonville hospital overnight for observation.
Haynes, 30, was carted off the field with a concussion, transported to Baptist Medical Center for testing.
He landed flat on his back in a hard fall during the third quarter, and when he tried to get up, he fell back down. He rose to one knee and fell again.
“Any time one of your brothers goes down, it’s always a scary moment,” teammate Brian Burns said, via Darin Gantt of the team website. “You always send a prayer in the air, you know, trying to keep them covered.”
Haynes, who has played seven games this season, made four tackles Sunday.
When it rains, it pours. And if it’s not raining, the owner can pour out a drink. Onto the opposing fans.
The video was posted by someone who attended the game. It was re-posted by Joseph Person of TheAthletic.com.
in the video, Tepper appears to throw the contents of a cup into the crowd, before storming away. A fan seems to react by turning and climbing toward the opening of the suite. The video ends at that point.
We’ve asked both the league and the Panthers for comment. Whether it falls under the Personal Conduct Policy or some other rule, it presumably is frowned upon by 345 Park Avenue for owners to throw liquids into the crowd.
Saints safety Tyrann Mathieu added injury to insult late in Sunday’s win over the Buccaneers.
Mathieu hit quarterback Baker Mayfield late in the ribs on a two-point conversion try in the fourth quarter and Mayfield was on a knee on the sideline when officials ruled that Chris Godwin was out of bounds before catching his pass in the end zone. The offsetting penalties led to another try and Mayfield returned to the game, but threw an interception to cap the 23-13 loss.
After the game, Mayfield said, via Pewter Report, that X-rays on his ribs were negative but that his ribs “don’t feel that great right now.”
History says Mayfield will do whatever he can to play through the injury, especially with the Buccaneers still in position to win the NFC South by beating the Panthers in Week 18.
The Bears have plenty to celebrate on the final day of 2023.
They beat the Falcons 37-17 to move to 7-9 on the season and the Panthers lost 26-0 to the Jaguars in Jacksonville. That loss coupled with the Cardinals’ win over the Eagles means that the Panthers are guaranteed to finish the season with the worst record in the NFL.
Carolina traded their 2024 first-round pick to the Bears for the chance to draft quarterback Bryce Young with the first pick last year, however, and that means Chicago will once again head into the offseason with the first overall pick for the second straight year.
If they opt to stick with Justin Fields as their quarterback, the Bears could move the pick for even more assets to use to build around him and set the stage for a push to return to contention during the 2025 season. If they don’t, Fields could go in a trade for pieces to put around the next quarterback and those options will make the Bears an interesting team to watch as the offseason gets underway.
