The NFL must move quickly to punish Carolina Panthers owner Jerry Richardson the same way it has to moved to punish players in the past.
To say that this is a spiraling week for the Carolina Panthers would be an understatement. On Friday, Dec. 15, the team announced that owner Jerry Richardson is under investigation for “misconduct.” Less than 48 hours later, the NFL was getting involved in the investigation.
Sunday evening ended with the Panthers celebrating a big win over the Green Bay Packers and finding out that Richardson plans to sell the team at the end of the season. With such a rush to move on these damning allegations, the NFL must not miss the opportunity to make a statement and punish Richardson while he’s in their fold.
L. Jon Wertheim and Viv Bernstein of Sports Illustrated released a piece that put a bright spotlight on Richardson. Since the team’s inception in 1993, Richardson has been the owner of the Charlotte, NC based organization. Richardson is a prominent owner in the league, having taken part in many committees and conversations to drive the direction of the league. This is what makes this an important moment for the league to respond.
Look back to the many examples in which NFL leadership, mainly Roger Goodell, has worked hard to use punishment to change the perception of players. While some claim his work has harmed the league more than helped it, it’s clear that he’s worked to keep behavior as clean cut as possible.
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The allegations against Richardson are as disgusting as many that have come out in society during the #MeToo movement. The fact that the Sports Illustrated piece confirmed that the team has paid out multiple high-dollar settlements to former employees shows that there’s a problem. Even worse, Richardson’s quick decision to sell the organization almost points to a position in guilt in the eyes of many.
In times from the past the league hasn’t needed a plea of guilt or even legal reprocussions to punish a player for being involved in a bad situation. The same type of quick action needs to occur against Richardson.
Currently residing in a society where sexual misconduct and racial insensitivity aren’t ignored, the NFL needs to take the proper steps to make sure that everyone is aware that this behavior is not accepted in the league in any form — not just from the millionaire players on the field but the billionaires in the box offices as well.
The racial component to this matter makes it even worse. According to the Sports Illustrated piece, Richardson was willing to punish players that were outspoken against social inequity. Being willing to punish people for using free speech, while committing these acts behind closed doors is an appalling situation that must be met with harsh punishment.
If the league wants to wait until the official investigation is complete, then it needs to be expedited to make sure Richardson is still in the fold when the final verdict comes down.
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The term, “sending a message” is often used to describe big moments that happen on the field. The same can be said for off the field action. Goodell has spent most of his time as NFL Commissioner “sending a message” that mistakes off of the field will not be tolerated. It’s time for that same message to hit Carolina Panthers owner, hard and fast.