Owners come to defense of Panthers' Richardson

[lymelizzard]

Unfortunately, I believe your sarcasm to be true and it's unfortunate that the man doesn't care what the people think, because the people are the ones who fill the stadium and pay the $55 million in tickets per year, not to mention the $120 million in PSLs and all the Panthers gear.

and just maybe if salaries weren't so high the ticket cost wouldn't be so high.

[Davidson Deac II]

Come preseason, you'll be on the dark side with me.

Eh, I won't really miss preseason. :)

If there is no football next year, I will probably blame both sides.

[riddel]

I'm one of the people who contribute to that $120 million, and I fully support the man. I guess it's because I actually care enough to go beyond the "he said/she said" stuff put out by Florio, Smith, and Feeley, and pay attention to stuff that the people are actually saying. You know, like how the owners aren't doing any public negotiating, and guys like Brees, who were actually there, are denying that there was disrespect.

It's a lot easier, and lazier, to just take the press reports at face value and spout off on them on an anonymous message board. It doesn't make them true though.

Well, there is either a generation gap between us or you're in love with old man Richardson. I could give a turd about how he appears to the public, what I care about is "watching a winning Carolina Panther team"

I do not believe Richardson shares my concerns. Richardson is the $250 dollar man. That floors me. If he will walk away from the game over $250, tank the 2010 season to purge veteran contracts and make lectures that threaten "lockout lockout!" Expletive the players and their contracts. Let's take our expletive league back!

Well. Lets just say he is not aiming at the same target that the fans are. My bulls eye has a superbowl trophy and his has a dollar sign. I could careless if he isn't making as much as he wants.

[riddel]

and just maybe if salaries weren't so high the ticket cost wouldn't be so high.

Not true. The cost of the tickets will not go down a penny, unless the demand goes down. If the tickets cost $39 for an upper and all the tickets are sold, then the price stays at $39 for an upper. What business do you know that reduces the price when the demand is so high? None.

[Carolina Husker]

The same people who think belittling your most recognizable and popular employees in negotiations also thought his rambling press conference last month was calculated genius.

[Panthro]

I saw this raised in another thread. If owners get what they want will they turn around and push a ticket increase on us?

[Panthro]

The same people who think belittling your most recognizable and popular employees in negotiations also thought his rambling press conference last month was calculated genius.

*slow clap*

[jarhead]

Well I do not know if either the players or owners would agree with my accessment but I think most of the problem is how the revenue the players receive is distributed.I think the 1st rd rookies get entirely to much money and for an organization to pay P Manning 23 million for one year is crazy with the franchise tag. Look at what we had to pay for Peppers for one year.Maybe if the players would present a plan to redistribute their revenue it would satisfy the majority of players.Short of imposing goverment intervention the owners are not going to give up anything so the players need to be creative for the benefit of the majority.

[riddel]

The same people who think belittling your most recognizable and popular employees in negotiations also thought his rambling press conference last month was calculated genius.

Over the last few weeks, I've googled every Richardson press conference and come to the conclusion that he really does need some PR help along with basic speech training. He appears not to care what the fans want and thinks us to be as stupid as Manning. Although being a tough guy may be appealing to the football mentality, it's not appealling to the fan. I want my owner to be warm, fuzzy and full of money. Not cold bitter and money grubbing.

Drawing the pie chart made him look like a greedy fool. He actually killed his own arguement when he explained that the revenues had increased. Richardson indicated 3.6 billion was earned and then said that the owners receive the 1 billion off the top and the players received the 2.6 billion. The only way I see that working is if the 1 billion by the owners is being considered the player salaries and then the players are getting 1.6 billion in revenues splits, leaving the owners with 1 billion in revenue. Eitherway, it was a piss poor explanation.

If he is so willing to discuss the economic woes of the NFL, then why not go ahead and open the books before the NLRB requires it.

http://www.panthers.com/media-vault/videos/Front-Office-Press-Conference/79ee84d5-981c-4429-a407-873e6f1ae2bf

Listen to 5:58...

[Panthro]

If they want the players to take less then the players should push for guaranteed contracts.

[Lumps]

These are fans of a relatively young franchise. Most do not really know how to be fans of a NFL team and often think it includes the owner and staff as well etc no matter how far they take it. Why? Who knows, maybe fans have a false sense of loyalty. This just simply isn't possible, things change and people change. This isn't baseball where coaches have been there for 50 years. So really you can only be a fan of the team, and stay true to the team, whatever hurts the team is bad for the team, easy enough. Really breaking down the essence of being a true fan of the team. Whether your a fan of the staff or not, the team is always there, playing for you.

Rivera is the last coach under Richardson. After that you guys will have to move on and more importantly possibly accept a new way of ownership. I have a feeling a lot of guys will have a hard time with that, but you shouldn't because your team is still there and always has been. I was pointed this out as I was complaining to some co workers about how attached this fan base is for weak reasons. You can see this with Delhomme, Peppers even Smith.

[Cyberjag]

Well, there is either a generation gap between us or you're in love with old man Richardson. I could give a turd about how he appears to the public, what I care about is "watching a winning Carolina Panther team"

I do not believe Richardson shares my concerns. Richardson is the $250 dollar man. That floors me. If he will walk away from the game over $250, tank the 2010 season to purge veteran contracts and make lectures that threaten "lockout lockout!" Expletive the players and their contracts. Let's take our expletive league back!

Well. Lets just say he is not aiming at the same target that the fans are. My bulls eye has a superbowl trophy and his has a dollar sign. I could careless if he isn't making as much as he wants.

There probably is a generation gap between us.

I have left well-paying jobs on principle where the money wasn't actually worth much more that $250 would have been in the 1960s. The point isn't the money, it's that you don't want to work in an environment or for people who you don't trust, and that's what Richardson felt and why he left the NFL. And along the way, everyone who knows him and who does business with him feels that he has a tremendous sense of integrity, and works hard to do the right thing. The other owners certainly trust him, and most of them got their money by earning it, just like he did. This isn't a group of people who got where they are through luck (although some players certainly have had a little--would Manning be any good at 5'8"?).

So yeah, I appreciate the old man. And I think he knows more about winning and running a business than the collective wisdom of the huddle does. :)

[Panthro]

So it wasn't luck that he was offered to help fund a Hardees and it blew up?

I don't see Dan Morgan buying an NFL team. Richardson is lucky as hell and what makes you think players won't spurn him like he did the NFL over a couple of bucks. All these "super savvy" business men on the huddle that side with ownership make me lol

[Panthers_Lover]

There probably is a generation gap between us.

I have left well-paying jobs on principle where the money wasn't actually worth much more that $250 would have been in the 1960s. The point isn't the money, it's that you don't want to work in an environment or for people who you don't trust, and that's what Richardson felt and why he left the NFL. And along the way, everyone who knows him and who does business with him feels that he has a tremendous sense of integrity, and works hard to do the right thing. The other owners certainly trust him, and most of them got their money by earning it, just like he did. This isn't a group of people who got where they are through luck (although some players certainly have had a little--would Manning be any good at 5'8"?).

So yeah, I appreciate the old man. And I think he knows more about winning and running a business than the collective wisdom of the huddle does. :)

Amen ....