The Associated Press – The NFL has fined Carolina Panthers owner David Tepper $300,000 for tossing a drink at fans in Jacksonville toward the end of a game on Sunday.
The league called Tepper’s conduct “unacceptable” in a statement released Tuesday.
“All NFL personnel are expected to conduct themselves at all times in ways that respect our fans and favorably reflect on their team and the NFL,” the statement said. Tepper’s reaction came after rookie quarterback Bryce Young threw an interception with less than three minutes to play in a 26-0 loss to the Jaguars.
“I am deeply passionate about this team and regret my behavior on Sunday,” Tepper said in a statement. “I should have let NFL stadium security handle any issues that arose. I respect the NFL’s code of conduct and accept the League’s discipline for my behavior.”
It wasn’t clear whether Tepper was reacting to something said to him or another loss for the NFL’s worst team. The Panthers are 2-14 and won’t even have the No. 1 overall pick in the draft because it was traded to Chicago for the top pick used to select Young … READ MORE.
“… the recent actions and words of David Tepper have left many [Carolina Panthers] fans feeling alienated and disheartened.” – SPORTS ILLUSTRATED
The NFL Has a New Worst Owner
“Tepper’s investment fund, Appaloosa, manages something like $14 billion in assets, and Tepper has done well enough with that money that he is worth at least $17.5 billion.”
SLATE – What’s the point of having a cartoonishly rich financial titan as the owner of one’s favorite sports team?
In some sports, it’s obvious. Steve Cohen is one of the most successful hedge fund managers in the world, so he has more money than most of the garden-variety extremely rich dudes who own Major League Baseball teams.
Cohen’s quest to spend the New York Mets all the way to a World Series hasn’t borne fruit yet, but it’s given the club a chance. The nice people behind a sovereign wealth fund of the United Arab Emirates have turned Manchester City into the greatest soccer club in the world.
As a fan, in a sport where outspending the competition is well within the rules, having a motivated, extra-rich owner rocks.
The NFL is a trickier proposition, though. The league fetishizes parity. The worst teams get the best draft picks. The playoffs have ballooned to a size where almost everyone has a chance. Most of all, a salary cap flattens the financial playing field.
An owner with more money than his peers can spend a lot of money on coaches or practice facilities, but he can’t splurge on all the best players, and therefore he can’t flip the competitive dynamic of the league.
In fact, in a sport where an owner’s decisions necessarily have to go beyond just give the best guys the money, one could see how a certain kind of financial maven owning your team could become a real problem … READ MORE.
