According to David Newton of ESPN on Wednesday, the Carolina Panthers have decided to remove the statue of former owner Jerry Richardson from the Bank of America Stadium. Richardson’s statue was located at the North Gate of their home stadium and has now been moved to an unnamed site.
The reason for the move of the statue is because there were some concerns that it might be damaged if it continued to be in its current position. According to a Sports Illustrated report in 2017, Richardson was accused of delivering a racial slur to a Panthers scout and using “sexually suggestive language.” As a result, four Panthers employees received monetary settlements from Richardson.
At this time, there are multiple issues with all global monuments named after people with a questionable past when it comes to possible racial misconduct. In the light of the “Black Lives Matter” movement and the massive protests for racial equality, it appears that moving the Richardson statue was the safest thing to do at this time.
Richardson, who is 83 years old, became the owner of the Panthers franchise on October 26, 1993. He became the first former player to own a National Football League franchise since George Halas of Chicago, Illinois. Halas was nicknamed “Mr. Everything” because he owned the Bears from 1920 to 1983, played for the Bears from 1920 to 1929, and coached the bears from 1920 to 1967.
As a player, Richardson played two seasons with the Baltimore Colts in 1959 and 1960. As a flanker and halfback, Richardson caught 15 passes for 171 yards and had four touchdowns in his career. Richardson also caught a 12-yard touchdown pass from Johnny Unitas in the 1959 NFL Championship Game. The Colts defeated the New York Giants 31-16.
Richardson generated his wealth by being the co-founder of the Hardee’s restaurant chain. He ended up having a net worth of $2 billion. In 2013, the University of North Carolina at Charlotte football stadium was renamed the Jerry Richardson Stadium. According to Cassie Cope of the Charlotte Observer, there has been consideration at this time to rename the stadium because of the allegations. It should be noted that after Richardson sold the Panthers to David Tepper in 2018 for $2.2 billion, he was fined $2.75 million by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell for workplace misconduct while as the Panthers owner.
