The Carolina Panthers have had an awful season, going 2-14 through 16 weeks, ensuring they have the worst record in the NFL. Making matters worse, the Panthers don’t even get to enjoy the fruits of that labor, as they traded their first round pick to the Bears back in April to move up and take quarterback Bryce Young first overall.
That pick, to this point, has not yielded the expected results and there’s a lot of work to be done for the Panthers to build an offensive roster that can compete, even in a woeful division like the NFC South. The Panthers will also look to hire yet another new head coach, as owner David Tepper will look to make his third full-time hire in six years after firing Frank Reich less than a year into his tenure in Carolina. Tepper has come under fire from many for being impetuous and meddling, and his public image took yet another hit in Week 17.
During the Panthers latest loss in Jacksonville, a 26-0 shutout at the hands of backup QB C.J. Beathard, Tepper’s frustrations boiled over and he threw a drink on fans below his luxury box before storming away. That, unsurprisingly, was viewed as unacceptable by the NFL, which has fined Tepper $300,000 for the incident.
The NFL has fined Carolina Panthers owner David Tepper $300,000 for throwing a drink at fans during Sunday’s loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars.
— Jonathan Jones (@jjones9) January 2, 2024
The National Football League today fined Carolina Panthers’ chairman David Tepper $300,000 for his unacceptable conduct in Jacksonville during Sunday’s game, the league announced.
“All NFL personnel are expected to conduct themselves at all times in ways that respect our fans… pic.twitter.com/qmjcas7Hus
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) January 2, 2024
That’s not a huge amount of money for Tepper, but it does make that a very expensive beverage and the Panthers owner is going to need to keep his emotions in check while watching his team going forward, no matter what noise is coming his way from outside the luxury box.