Jerry Richardson announced on Sunday that he is putting the Panthers up for sale after the end of the 2017 season, which led to a question about whether or not the league would continue investigating allegations of workplace misconduct made against Richardson.
The NFL announced on Sunday morning that they were taking over the investigation from the Panthers, who announced on Friday that they were looking into the allegations. PFT reported Sunday that the switch “sparked multiple conversations that prompted Richardson to decide to voluntarily end his ownership of the team, avoiding the various potential issues that could arise from an investigation and, possibly, an effort to involuntarily end his ownership of the team.”
The NFL previously declined comment on whether the decision to sell the team would end the investigation. On Monday, the league commented.
“We are moving forward with the investigation,” NFL spokesman Joe Lockhart said.
Richardson has been the owner of the Panthers since they entered the league in 1995.