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Jerry Richardson apologizes to the fans

Sam Mills Fan

By Sam Mills Fan,
in Carolina Panthers

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jasonluckydog Veteran

jasonluckydog

Posted
Posted

He didn't have to say poo, hell he could a tell us all to suck a cock but he didn't. What would you guys want him to say? What words would make you feel better? The season is poo no need in bringing in a bunch of new people this season most wont be here next year anyway so fug it....I cant even enjoy the rookies progression cause who the hell know what will happen next season even if there is no next season..

Read my title.

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Zaximus Veteran

Zaximus

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I'm with the group that thinks it doesn't matter till we see a change. He's only saying anything cause of Fox's comments and the recent articles from the Observer, and at that, not much.

The fact is, JR has been laming up this team for years. We all knew Fox was a lameduck coach years ago. We knew Jake was done years before he was gone. How much crap has been building up to this season and nothing was done? Smith has needed a #2 WR for years and years and the only thing we brought in was guys like Rod Garner, etc. We were at least competitive every other year though, but all it is is mediocrity and he's happy with that. Why not? Like in other threads I've posted in, half the stadium on Sundays are other team's fans so they'll come no matter what.

I'm sorry, unless he answers a lot more questions than that, I'm not buying into crap. I'll believe it when the next season we play, he opens up the checkbook and at least tries to get us some FA help.

We need a coach, and one that's proven themselves, not sure this franchise should take an unknown at this point.

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pantherclaw Grand Master

pantherclaw

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Funny. People are either stating their return of respect for richardson (never should have stopped respecting him IMO) or they stating what he said wasn't enough.

Get over yourselves.

Richardson cares more about this team than any fan. Just cause he doesn't talk about his passion in a public forum, or the media every day, doesn't mean poo.

Keep up with the theories though...we all need some comedy.

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Fiz Newbie

Fiz

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i wrote a huge ass effort post about jerry richardson on another forum if anyone is interested in me posting it here. however most of it is already known

Buying the Team

In the early nineties, Charlotte was the biggest boom town in the nation. It was headquarters of Nations Bank which would eventually become Bank of America. Down the road were four universities pumping out skilled engineers and bankers to be. The local government was incredibly pliable to the interests of big business and would show very quickly they'd do whatever it would take to bring a team to the city.

Most importantly, Charlotte (and the surrounding areas) was absolutely rabid for professional sports. The Hornets had led the league in attendance since their inception (due largely to a now unthinkable 23,000 seat arena which they sold out nightly) and the Carolinas were a hotbed for football. While many people think of North Carolina as a basketball state, the real passion among people there is football. In the 70s and 80s, my Alma Mater South Meck would regularly seat 45,000 people for their football games. Many an SEC championship was built on talent siphoned from the basketball state.

Richardson was one of three major investment groups that were trying to bring a team to the Carolina. On top of the reasons I listed, Carolina (and Jacksonville) were projected to be the quickest growing regions in the country. Carolina got a team over Baltimore (that would have replaced the Colts and was eventually filled with the Browns) and the Panthers were born.

But how did they manage to pull this off?

Charlotte is a very interesting town. What started as a NASCAR town quickly became one of the banking centers of the country. It's essentially a large gated community with a very big down town. It's corporate as f**k and doesn't have anything resembling a soul. All you'll remember from Charlotte if you visit are the crisp, manicured lawns and clean down town streets. If you're in your twenties there's no reason at all to live in the city.

It's also one of the wealthiest cities in America.

Richardson represented the perfect pitchman for a team. On one hand, he was a homegrown product, having grown up just down the street in Spartanburg, SC. He would be the first (and to this day only) former player owner in the NFL. He had that down home quality that the common folk from around the city respected. Also, he's an incredibly imposing figure. My father was involved in the initial negotiations (when they were trying to line up corporate sponsors) and a 6 year old Fiz got to meet the man. All I remember was that he was huge, and my hand vanished in his. The proles loved him.

So did the bankers. Richardson was an absolutely ruthless businessman, and he presented a fairly novel at the time idea to construct what would become Ericsson Stadium: Permanent Seat Licenses.

The way PSLs work is that essentially you invest in the right to buy seats. For the business minded folks of Charlotte in the mid nineties boom years, this made perfect sense. Richardson had promised a Super Bowl within 10 years, and the Panthers were 12-4 after their second season, with a visit to the NFC Championship game to top it all off. SURELY these were only going to appreciate in value? Surely with an owner like Richardson they'd never have a string of crushing seasons.

what's that they say about pride, and where it goeth?

Richardson got the team and built the stadium. On one hand, very little public funds went into the construction of the stadium, and that should be applauded. All too often tax dollars go into stadiums for teams that have absolutely no incentive to actually win, as evidenced by the downtown Charlotte coliseum forced through the city council a year after voters turned down a proposal to build George "unrepentant rapist" Shinn an arena.

On the other hand, the PSL scam effectively priced out anyone but the wealthiest of prospective buyers. I very specifically didn't write fans in the previous sentence. Attending Carolina Panthers games in the lower bowl is akin to going to church. Profanity is an offense which can get you kicked out of the stadium. So is taking off your shirt, cheering too loudly, and standing up. No, I'm not kidding. On top of that, a Panthers ticket is the easiest in town to get. The owners of the PSLs aren't hard to talk into selling. There's not much of a homefield advantage there.

And so, the Panthers were born. A team fueled by the most fairweather of fans' dollars in a free stadium for a former player who bailed on the league after his rookie season over 250 dollars. This will turn out well.

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panthers55 Grand Master

panthers55

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SO he refuses to give an interview, on the phone says 2 or 3 trite lines with what does not appear to be a very sincere apology and everything is fine and dandy in Panther land. He wasn't sorry about saving a ton of money while raising prices to pay for increased utilities (LOL). He wasn't sorry that he is still going full bore toward a lockout although other owners like Jones and Kraft have come out wanting a settlement pretty soon.

Frankly, I don't believe a word he says, his actions betray a few scripted words he wouldn't even convey in person.

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