Jerry Richardson cause of death: How did ex-Panthers owner die?

Former Carolina Panthers owner Jerry Richardson passed away on March 2, 2023. Richardson, long touted as one of the most influential owners in the league, was 86 years old at the time of his death.

While a scandal ultimately tainted his stewardship of the Panthers, Richardson was the first former player to own an NFL team since Chicago’s George Halas.

Panthers founder Jerry Richardson passes away at 86
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Jerry Richardson cause of death explained

The Panthers announced that Richardson died peacefully in his sleep on Wednesday night.

“With the arrival of the Panthers in 1995, he changed the landscape of sports in the region and gave the NFL fans here a team to call their own," current franchise owner David Tepper said in a statement.

Back when Richardson was forced to sell the franchise owing to allegations of sexual harassment by female employees in 2018, Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones waxed lyrical about the former owner.

"Jerry is one of the really, really, really outstanding men of football that I've ever met, and I really admire him," Jones said.

Why did Panthers remove Jerry Richardson's statue?

In 2020, current franchise owner David Tepper informed fans that the statue was a safety hazard. At the time, several statues were being torn down owing to a wave of protests around the killing of George Floyd.

"With the environment, every statue in the country was coming under attack. It just made sense at all standpoints to move that statue," Tepper said, according to SI. "I don't think things will ever be quieted down. That's that, nor should they, in some respects."

A separate SI investigation unearthed several allegations against Richardson. He was also accused of using racial slurs toward a team scout.