Mina Kimes unearths shocking David Tepper interview after Panthers owner throws drink at fan - "I could get myself a 22-year-old"
David Tepper is under fire for attacking visiting fans with a drinking cup during his Carolina Panthers' 26-0 loss at the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday.
The incident has been met with widespread condemnation, especially given the owner's purported mismanagement of the franchise since acquiring it from the late Jerry Richardson in 2018. Mina Kimes has provided more proof that seems to fans' claims of him being one of the worst owners in the NFL.
Using her X/Twitter account, the veteran ESPN reporter unearthed this excerpt from a 2010 interview that Tepper had with New York Magazine, where he claimed he could do whatever he wanted with his wealth:
“I could buy an island. I could buy a private jet—but I have NetJets. I could get myself a 22-year-old! Sometimes, if someone is an asshole, like a waiter at a restaurant, I think, 'I could just buy this place and fire that guy.'”
Sportswriter calls David Tepper's antics against Jaguars fans a damning indictment of his tenure with Panthers
David Tepper's ownership with the Carolina Panthers is, as mentioned earlier, arguably one of the worst in recent NFL history. Beginning with letting go of offensive stars Cam Newton and Greg Olsen and cancelling plans for a new training facility, he has become anathema to sports fans in the region.
Shortly after the video of his act broke, Yahoo Sports' Charles McDonald said that this display of behavioral volatility matched his impatience when it came to the managament of his team. This has been best exemplified by a never-ending sucession of head coaches and quarterbacks and a (so far) failed attempt at rebuilding around rookie quarterback Bryce Young when he was still not ready:
"This was an illogical, rushed, emotional response that puts him and his decision-making under further scrutiny and gives partial context as to why the Panthers have been so dysfunctional the past few years."
However, if fans want to use this as a reason to force him out of ownership, then they have no luck:
"It takes a lot more than this for someone to lose their team, but this moment paints a picture of where this team is... everyone knows Tepper won’t or can’t face real discipline for this due to the power he holds."
Still, there is still hope that Tepper can atone for and learn from his mistakes:
"At some point, Tepper is going to have to stumble into success by mistake, even with his rash and hasty decision-making... The only hope here is that (he) will see this as a moment of weakness and make changes for himself that will make the Panthers a respected franchise again."
The Panthers end their season against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Game details will be announced soon.