Former Carolina Panthers owner and team founder Jerry Richardson has passed away at the age of 86 years old. According to a statement from the Carolina Panthers, Richardson passed away peacefully in his Charlotte home on Wednesday night. Richardson owned the team from the time he was granted the expansion team in 1993 until a scandal forced him to sell the franchise. The North Carolina native was a former NFL player until he entered the business arena and made billions. Richardson spent years attempting to gain an expansion team in North Carolina until he finally succeeded.
We are saddened to hear about the passing of former owner Jerry Richardson. pic.twitter.com/9Cjn0PSYW2
— Carolina Panthers (@Panthers) March 2, 2023
Current Panthers owners David Tepper and his wife Nicole released the following statement about the passing of Richardson: “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. Nicole and I extend our deepest condolences to Rosalind, the entire Richardson family, and their loved ones. We wish them much peace and comfort.”
Richardson ended his tenure with the Carolina Panthers in controversy and never addressed the allegations publically. That being said he did bring professional football to the states of North Carolina and South Carolina with his constant persistence. We here at Def Pen Sports wish to offer our thoughts to the family, friends, and colleagues of Jerry Richardson at this time.
