The NFL fined Carolina Panthers owner David Tepper $300,000 on Tuesday in response to Tepper throwing a drink at fans near the end of the Panthers’ 26-0 loss to the Jaguars on Sunday in Jacksonville.
After the Panthers went two days without commenting on the incident, the team released a three-sentence statement from Tepper on Tuesday evening that did not include an apology.
“I am deeply passionate about this team and regret my behavior on Sunday,” Tepper said in the 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.”
The fine won’t take much of a bite out of Tepper’s fortunes, given that it represents well less than one percent of his $20.6 billion net worth.
Fans in the past have received lifetime stadium bans for throwing drinks at players. Some observers believed the league might suspend Tepper for at least a game for what the NFL described as “unacceptable conduct.” But that was not the case.
“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 league said in a statement.
A Jaguars fan posted video Sunday of Tepper tossing the contents of a cup into the stands from the visiting owner’s suite at EverBank Stadium. The video shows Tepper standing alongside general manager Scott Fitterer when the incident occurred after rookie quarterback Bryce Young threw an interception, allowing the Jaguars to run the final three minutes off the clock.
It was the first time the Panthers had been shut out since 2002. They finished with just 124 net yards and seven first downs, both of which ranked among the worst single-game totals in franchise history.
It’s been a rough year for Tepper, who fired head coach Frank Reich in November after just 11 games, the second-shortest tenure in NFL history for a head coach who coached at least one regular-season game.
With another loss Sunday versus Tampa Bay, the Panthers (2-14) would finish with the NFL’s worst record since the league went to a 17-game schedule in 2021. In most years, the Panthers would at least have the No. 1 draft pick as a silver lining, but they traded that selection to the Chicago Bears as part of the package to move up and draft Young with the first overall pick this year.
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(Photo: Bob Donnan / USA Today)
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