Carolina Panthers owner David Tepper is quickly growing a reputation as one of the worst franchise bosses not only in the NFL but in all sports, and a new report adds another petty layer to his resume.
David Tepper’s run as the owner of the Carolina Panthers has been pretty bad as the team has posted double-digit losses in all but one season since he took over as the top decision-maker in 2018. Yet, what has made things messy is Tepper’s impatience and willingness to oust head coaches who are not delivering the results he is looking for.
Related: Firing Frank Reich after 11 games is nothing new for Carolina Panthers owner David Tepper
In the six seasons he has been the owner, the franchise has had six different individuals fill the position of head coach. However, along with firing three coaches on his NFL team, he has also ousted two others for Charlotte FC, the MLS club he also owns.
While he has been a massive success and became a billionaire in the hedge fund business, his management style in professional sports has been questionable at best. A new element of his unique approach to conducting business was revealed on Wednesday, and it is an elite level of pettiness.
Carolina Panthers record (2023): 1-10
Pro Football Talk NFL insider Mike Florio was one of the many people who realized Tepper pronounced former head coach Frank Reich’s name wrong during a press conference this week to explain why he fired him just 12 weeks into a four-year contract. It could have been just an odd mistake but it occurred more than once during the presser and in Florio’s view almost seemed on purpose.
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Well, it seems it was done on purpose. The league insider spoke with a source familiar with the inner workings of the organization and they confirmed to Florio that Tepper did mispronounce Reich’s name because “it’s his way of putting people in their place.”
It is understandable to be frustrated with the 1-10 performance of a head coach who is getting paid millions to win games. However, to sort of kick him while he is down and publicly butcher his name is a weird level of petty that only adds to what has been a terrible run as a franchise owner for the Carolina Panthers boss.
