Carolina Panthers owner David Tepper has been ranked as one of the worst owners in the NFL, and it’s not hard to see why. The 66-year-old billionaire has spent a lot of money on hiring (and firing) head coaches over the years, but other than that, he hasn’t invested much into the franchise, especially when it comes to helping them win games.
Following this week’s announcement to their season ticket holders that they are increasing their average ticket price for the 2024 campaign by around 4% from last season, Tepper will certainly make it harder to convince their fans to watch more of their games anytime soon.
The decision to raise their ticket prices has caught the attention of many, including Chris “Mad Dog” Russo from ESPN, who went on an explosive rant on the Carolina Panthers owner.
“Son, you’re not serious, are you? With this God-forbidden franchise that stinks? Where you’re firing head coaches? In a stadium that’s a little old, you’re going to make them ante up 4% more? I don’t care what the percentage is, you should give them the games for free,” said Russo.
“That is a complete utter disgrace…You know what? I got an idea to fix our problems. Let’s charge them more money to see the garbage that we put on the field. I don’t know who came up with that idea. You give them a discount off that kind of season, not a price increase,” he added.
The Carolina Panthers are fresh from a horrible 2023 campaign
It’s hard to not side with Chris “Mad Dog” Russo for this one because the Carolina Panthers had the worst record in the league last season, finishing with a 2-15 win-loss card.
Bryce Young notably struggled to live up to the hype of being the top overall pick of the 2023 NFL Draft, having recorded 2,877 yards with 11 touchdowns and 10 interceptions for a 59.8 completion percentage. He also had six lost fumbles and was sacked 62 times, which was the second-worst mark behind Washington Commanders quarterback Sam Howell.
Given their lackluster season, Frank Reich was relieved of his head coaching duties after just one season and was replaced by Dave Canales, the seventh head coach in six years under the David Tepper regime.
The Carolina Panthers were a respected NFL franchise and were Super Bowl contenders before David Tepper’s arrival. Since he took over, the team hasn’t had a season where they had more than seven victories.
