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Former founder of the Carolina Panthers, Jerry Richardson, has died at the age of 86. The NFL team broke the news Richardson passed away on their website, although they did not reveal how the founder passed away. Current owners of the Panthers, David and Nicole Tepper, released a joint statement on how much of an impact Richardson made on the sport and the Panthers themselves. They wrote, “Jerry Richardson’s contributions to professional football in the Carolinas are historic. With the arrival of the Panthers in 1995, he changed the landscape of sports in the region and gave the NFL fans here a team to call their own. He was incredibly gracious to me when I purchased the team, and for that I am thankful.”
Since the beginning, Richardson has always had a passion for football, per the Panthers. In fact, he ended up playing for the Baltimore Colts. for two seasons. His career, however, was short-lived due to a discourse over money. Still, Richardson came back to football, but this time as a founder and owner of the Panthers. Even though Richardson has put on such a strong front, he has faced various health struggles and misconduct allegations, per The New York Post. In 2017, Richardson revealed he was selling the Panthers, which later ended up going to the Teppers. Despite his passing, Richardson will be remembered for his work with Panthers and for setting up a business structure for the team to succeed.
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