David Tepper Fires Panthers Legal Counsel

[thefuzz]

12 hours ago, Boundary Guru said:

Would not surprise me, if Jerry isn't rewarding them. I'd be surprised, if anyone that "stood up for" Jerry isn't set for life. But I am talking about a man that demanded that his own statue remain...

If you have been the legal counsel for a NFL team for 20+ years, you are likely already "set up for life" to be honest.

 

[thefuzz]

39 minutes ago, Moo Daeng said:

Just a typical lawyer doing typical lawyer things. It's not like he's an evil mastermind doing what no other lawyer would dare to do.

Yup.  He's not the dirty one in this situation, he was doing his job, no matter how gross that seems to many of us.

 

[Sam Mills Fan]

Thigpen has been a long-time employee for us who I think did a great job for the team and the guy that brought football to the Carolinas. Without Richard Thigpen, there might not be a Carolina Panthers the way we know them today. Therefore, I believe we need a statue of Richard Thigpen outside the stadium too. Who's with me?

[Mr. Scot]

Thigpen was actually quoted to the Observer (link)

Quote

"It's not uncommon for a new owner, whether it is a sports franchise or other business, to want his own legal team in place when he takes over," Thigpen said. "Personal relationships are typically involved with legal (representatives) and owners."

Yeah...Somehow I don't think it's that.

Quote

Thigpen declined to comment on his role in crafting the non-disclosure agreements with the former employees.

There it is.

And no, Thigpen isn't an evil mastermind, but he can't be said to have been completely ethical either.  In crafting the NDAs and failing to alert the league, he placed the best interests of Jerry Richardson above those of the team.  That, more than anything else, is probably why he's no longer employed by the Panthers.

[acymetric]

1 hour ago, Mr. Scot said:

Thigpen was actually quoted to the Observer (link)

Yeah...Somehow I don't think it's that.

There it is.

And no, Thigpen isn't an evil mastermind, but he can't be said to have been completely ethical either.  In crafting the NDAs and failing to alert the league, he placed the best interests of Jerry Richardson above those of the team.  That, more than anything else, is probably why he's no longer employed by the Panthers.

Wouldn't there be attorney-client privilege issues if he were to alert the league against the client's wishes?  Not sure that would have been possible, it seems to me his options would have been craft the NDAs or quit.  He is certainly not the only lawyer that would have done it...I would guess it would have been a minority of successful lawyers (in that legal field) who would have refused.  Just because it is incredibly distasteful (understatement) doesn't mean it is uncommon.

[Moo Daeng]

1 hour ago, Mr. Scot said:

Thigpen was actually quoted to the Observer (link)

Yeah...Somehow I don't think it's that.

There it is.

And no, Thigpen isn't an evil mastermind, but he can't be said to have been completely ethical either.  In crafting the NDAs and failing to alert the league, he placed the best interests of Jerry Richardson above those of the team.  That, more than anything else, is probably why he's no longer employed by the Panthers.

NFL rules don't define ethics...they define NFL rules.  He was utilizing a legal method. They decided that bypassing the NFL rule of reporting incidents was worth the risk. He didn't break laws.

[Mr. Scot]

12 minutes ago, acymetric said:

Wouldn't there be attorney-client privilege issues if he were to alert the league against the client's wishes?  Not sure that would have been possible, it seems to me his options would have been craft the NDAs or quit.  He is certainly not the only lawyer that would have done it...I would guess it would have been a minority of successful lawyers (in that legal field) who would have refused.  Just because it is incredibly distasteful (understatement) doesn't mean it is uncommon.

Hes not Richardson's lawyer. He's the Panthers lawyer, thus obligated to act in the best interest of the team, not individuals within the organization (including the owner).

The league's Personal Conduct Policy requires the reporting of legal agreements like NDAs. Thigpen violated that policy by not reporting those agreements, and in doing so put the Panthers at risk of league discipline.

Since he's now been fired, I don't believe there will be anything from the league, but it would still be within their power to fine the team or even take away draft picks.

[ickmule]

We need 3 pages of comment for this ? I think not.  

[Mr. Scot]

14 minutes ago, ickmule said:

We need 3 pages of comment for this ? I think not.  

Most of the discussion has been decent, actually.

I mean, I can think of one post that was kind of useless.

[BIGH2001]

On 7/11/2018 at 7:31 PM, TheSpecialJuan said:

I like how he used a quarter in place of a jacket button.  

[Mr. Scot]

 

 

[Jon Snow]

4 hours ago, Mr. Scot said:

 

 

He sounds like he's enjoying this.

[Mr. Scot]

10 hours ago, Jon Snow said:

He sounds like he's enjoying this.

Well to be fair, for whatever you think of Rosinski, it's likely any of us would get a good chuckle out of someone who got us fired from a job being fired from their job.

[panthers55]

Thigpen did what he was paid to do and actually bound to do which is protect his client and give him good advice. He was fired possible due to perception but most likely due to the fact that billionaires have a team of lawyers they trust and have worked with. Like anyone else you pick who you know and trust. Same with a team president or CEO. You want your people who know you and are loyal to you.