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15:39 EDT July 3, 2024updated
15:39 EDT July 3, 2024updated
Carolina Panthers fans were outraged to learn that owner David Tepper’s wife, Nicole, was asked for her opinion during player selection in April.
On July 3, a video of Nicole joining team staff in the war room during the draft went viral as she appeared to give her opinion on her picks.
“He was like, ‘Would you trade him for…'” Nicole whispers in the clip as coach Dave Canales looks on. “For the guy I like, I was like, ‘Yeah.'”
Given the state of the team, which had a 2-15 record last season, fans reacted outraged when the owner’s wife was asked which players she wanted to draft. Meanwhile, fans of other teams criticized Carolina’s fans for the video.
“Damn. I thought my Cowboys were bad,” one user wrote.
TRENDNicole Tepper, wife of #Panthers Owner David was asked for his opinion on the draft picks during the draft.
This is pretty CRAZY, this is the first time we’ve seen the owner’s wife helping make the selections.
(thank you @qanthers)
image.twitter.com/0ER3NqMWDl—MLFootball (@_MLFootball) July 3, 2024
“Poor Panthers fans lol,” another added. “Tepper is the new Dan Snyder.”
“They’re running out of new content to slander us,” commented one Panthers fan while another said, “Tepper needs to sell the team.”
“This franchise will be a disaster as long as Tepper is there,” said a third.
Although many were not thrilled with Nicole’s participation, some fans came to her defense and denounced the apparent sexism.
“Why is this crazy?” one user asked. “Because she’s a woman and men don’t believe women should be allowed to work in sports, let alone talk about sports.”
“It’s ok, and men tell their wives everything,” wrote another. “Why is this wrong? We are all the same. They have been at this for a long time. But don’t say David is the best at this.”
Tepper took over ownership of the Panthers two years after their Super Bowl appearance in 2016. Since then, the franchise has degraded to a dismal 31-61 record.
The Panthers selected wide receiver Xavier Legette from South Carolina with the 32nd pick in the draft. They then selected running back Jonathan Brooks, inside linebacker Trevin Wallace and tight end Ja’Tavion Sanders in the second, third and fourth rounds, respectively.
In the later rounds, they selected CB Chau Smith-Wade, DT Jaden Crumedy and LB Michael Barrett.
The picks will be looking to make an impact as their team looks to break out of a slump following one of the worst records in NFL history. Last season, they had the worst record in the league at 2-15 and missed the postseason for the sixth consecutive time.
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