Statue of Jerry Richardson explained

Statue of Jerry Richardson
Designer:Todd Andrews
Dedicated To:Jerry Richardson
Location:Charlotte, North Carolina, U.S.
Mapframe:yes
Dismantled:June 2020

A statue of Jerry Richardson, the founder of the National Football League’s Carolina Panthers, was installed outside their stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina in 2016.[1] In the years following its installation, a controversy was brought to light involving Richardson allegedly committing sexist behavior prior to selling the team. As a result, the statue was removed from Bank of America Stadium in June 2020 for fear it would be destroyed by protestors.[2]

Background

The statue was a gift to Richardson, the founding owner of the Carolina Panthers, during his 80th birthday, given by the team's minority ownership partners.[3] [4] It stood 13 feet tall outside the north entrance of Bank of America Stadium, depicting Richardson in a suit holding a football and flanked by two life-sized black panthers with green eyes.

When the U.S. national anthem protests started back in 2016 in response to police brutality, it was reported by numerous Panthers players such as Tre Boston that Richardson prohibited his players from joining the protests.[5] After Richardson was forced to sell the team after the 2017 season following racist and sexist remarks made to team employees in light of the Me Too movement, David Tepper, the new owner, was forced to keep the statue up as a "contractual obligation" of purchasing the Panthers, much to the chagrin of many fans. However, it was taken down and stored in a hidden place by Panthers management in 2020 in light of the George Floyd protests.[6] [7]

The Panthers organization has not explained how it will dispose of the statue, but it has been reported that the organization does not intend to restore it. Richardson himself also reportedly "moved on" before his death and said that the statue "is not his focus", according to his spokesperson.[8] Boston later commented that the removal of the statue was "best for the community".

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Fowler . Scott . 2020-06-10 . Carolina Panthers take down statue of team founder Jerry Richardson at BofA Stadium . 2020-06-20 . Charlotte Observer . 2020-06-15 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200615015218/https://www.charlotteobserver.com/sports/spt-columns-blogs/scott-fowler/article243428601.html . live .
  2. Web site: 2020-06-10 . Panthers move Richardson statue as precaution . Newton . David . 2020-06-11 . ESPN.com . en . 2020-06-11 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200611034830/https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/29293290/panthers-moving-jerry-richardson-statue-stadium-precaution . live .
  3. Jones . Jonathan . Tepper's honeymoon phase: stadium, soccer, statue . 2020-06-20 . Sports Illustrated . 27 July 2018 . en-us . 2020-06-30 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200630033137/https://www.si.com/nfl/2018/07/27/david-tepper-jerry-richardson-statue-carolina-panthers-stadium-mls-expansion . live .
  4. Exclusive: New details on allegations against Panthers owner Jerry Richardson. L. Jon Wertheim and Viv. Bernstein. Sports Illustrated. 17 December 2017 . Aug 12, 2020. August 15, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200815035456/https://www.si.com/nfl/2017/12/17/jerry-richardson-carolina-panthers-settlements-workplace-misconduct-sexual-harassment-racial-slur. live.
  5. Web site: Canova . Daniel . 2020-06-10 . Carolina Panthers remove Jerry Richardson statue outside Bank of America Stadium . 2020-06-20 . Fox News . en-US . 2020-06-21 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200621031707/https://www.foxnews.com/sports/carolina-panthers-remove-jerry-richardson-statue-bank-of-america-stadium . live .
  6. Web site: Ruiz . Steven . 2020-06-10 . Why the Panthers are removing the statue of former owner Jerry Richardson from their stadium . 2020-06-20 . For The Win . en . 2020-06-22 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200622165107/https://ftw.usatoday.com/2020/06/panthers-remove-jerry-richardson-statue . live .
  7. 1270787233977688071 . Panthers . We were aware of the most recent conversation surrounding the Jerry Richardson statue and are concerned there may be attempts to take it down. We are moving the statue in the interest of public safety. . Carolina Panthers . 2020-06-10.
  8. Web site: Newton . David . 2020-06-11 . Jerry Richardson has 'moved on' from statue . 2020-06-20 . ESPN.com . en . 2020-06-23 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200623014247/https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/29298703/ex-panthers-owner-jerry-richardson-moved-statue-spokesman-says . live .

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