Richardson, after numerous accusations of workplace misconduct, sold the Panthers to Tepper back in 2018. When I went through my injuries and everyone told him it was time to move on and turn the page he said no. He sold the team to Tepper, a hedge fund owner, in May 2018 for a then-NFL record $2.27 billion. We wish them much peace and comfort.". He was not a close personal friend at the time. The team reached the Super Bowl in the 2003 and 2015 seasons, but lost both times. The former president of the Panthers stadium was their son Jon Richardson. Richardson became the first former NFL player to own a team since Chicagos George Halas when he landed the expansion Panthers in 1993. He began the Carolina Panthers franchise, which he owned from 1995 to 2018. XFL Week 3 preview: Can AJ McCarron, Battlehawks continue their fourth-quarter heroics? Richardson died peacefully Wednesday night at his Charlotte home, the team said in a statement. Condolences to Rosalind, Ashley, & Mark and the Richardson family.. Funeral services will be private. The Ohio State product feels good about his ability as a passer and extending plays with his legs, but he's just as willing to put in the work to grow at the next level. With the arrival of the Panthers in 1995, he changed the landscape of sports in the region and gave NFL fans here a team to call their own. Jaguars won't spend big, but here are five players they could target in free agency. Richardson died peacefully Wednesday night at his Charlotte home, the team said in a statement. NFL footage NFL Productions LLC. He began to slow down as he entered his mid-60s, battling heart issues. Date of Birth: Jul 11, 1936 (86 years old) He was 86. Jerry Richardsons contributions to professional football in the Carolinas are historic," current Panthers owner David Tepper and his wife Nicole said in a statement. Richardson called Archie Manning, Peytons father, to clear the air and believed the situation was overblown. Richardson was forced to sell the team to Tepper for a then NFL-record $2.275 billion after the 2017 season amid allegations of sexual and racial misconduct in the workplace. The NFL fined Richardson a league-record $2.75 million after its probe concluded, nearly tripling the amount of its previous record fine of $1 million. Lets just say I wasnt bursting with optimism, Richardson told The Observer in a 1995 story. A new home for Michael Thomas? Jerry Richardson and wife Rosalind Sallenger Richardson established a $500,000 fully endowed scholarship to Winthrop. The report alleged that Richardson had committed numerous instances of workplace misconduct, including sexual harassment, uttering a racial slur and asking some of his female employees if he could personally shave their legs., The report, which was substantiated by the NFLs ensuing probe, revealed that at least four former Panthers employees had received significant financial settlements from Richardson following his inappropriate behavior in exchange for what amounted to a vow of silence. It also noted that Fridays were Jeans Day at the Panthers offices, and that became fodder for many inappropriate comments by Richardson. He has authored or co-authored eight books, including four about the Carolina Panthers. Jerry Richardson is Businessman, public benefactor, former NFL player from Spring Hope, North Carolina, United States. He was 86. On Thursday afternoon, the Carolina Panthers announced the passing of team founder and former owner Jerry Richardson. Prosecutors dismissed domestic violence charges against Hardy after they said the accuser in the case couldnt be found. After he had a heart transplant in Charlotte in 2009, Richardson lived for 14 more years. 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.". The family did not own a car until Jerry Richardson was 16. But his fourth-quarter, 12-yard TD catch from Unitas gave the Colts a 21-9 lead in a game they would win 31-16. Richardsons mother, Mary, told The Observer in 1993 that her son was born after 17 hours of labor during a thunderstorm. I said, Yes sir, it did. He said, thats a good thing everything will be OK. And then he hung up the phone.. Using his championship game bonus as seed money, he opened his first Hardee's restaurant in Spartanburg. But Richardsons tenure was marred by off-field issues. Turn on desktop notifications for breaking stories about interest? He used his championship bonus money to open the first Hardees in Spartanburg, South Carolina close to where he had attended Wofford College. I was told I couldn't get my company on the New York Stock Exchange before I was 40. During its very 1st season, he triumphed over the NFL Super Bowl. Although Richardson once promised the Panthers would win a Super Bowl within 10 years of beginning play in 1995, they never did. The following browsers are supported: Chrome, Edge (v80 and later), Firefox and Safari. Pictures of Richardson holding babies or showing up at pre-game tailgates made their rounds on social media before most games. Fox said from the NFL combine in Indianapolis. Jerry Richardson, the founder of the American football team Carolina Panthers, has died at the age of 86 He is survived by his wife Rosalind Sallenger Richardson and three children - Ashley, Jon, and Mark Nine grandchildren and one great-grandchild are also included in his family Written By: Alfeeya Mohsin Pathan 1 pick, Jalen Carter arrest throws Bears a hittable curve, NFL Combine notes: Illini CB Witherspoon the complete package, Trade down? "Mr. Richardson taught me so many life lessons over the years and I will forever be grateful for the friendship and the bond that we had. A year after Carolina was awarded a franchise, in 1994, Richardson spoke to The Observer about what it was like to be an NFL owner. A public celebration of his life will be held at a later date. Richardson never addressed the allegations against him publicly. We wish them much peace and comfort.. Richardson died peacefully Wednesday night at his Charlotte home, the team said in a statement. "The Carolina Panthers are a testament to his extraordinary and tireless dedication to the community.But his league-first attitude as seen through his leadership of numerous NFL committees, including the Stadium Committee and Management Council Executive Committee, helped pave the way for a series of public-private stadium partnerships throughout the country, and collective bargaining agreements that continue to support the growth of the game. He'd drop in on restaurants from time to time to check up, sticking his head in the drive-through line to surprise customers and employees alike. Conservative by nature, Richardson once cautioned Heisman Trophy winner Cam Newton against getting tattoos and piercings after drafting the quarterback No. It was a very stressful time.. Former Pro Bowl linebacker Thomas Davis, who played for Carolina from 2005 to 2018, summed up what many players thought of Richardson with this post on Instagram. Carolina earned high marks in several key areas in survey, which rated various aspects of players' experience from strength coaches and the locker room to treatment of families. Olsen and his wife Kara later named the child Trent Jerry Olsen after Richardson. That allegiance to the league and his status within it also made him one of the lead voices for owners in the 2010 labor negotiations, in which he famously and sometimes profanely clashed with players across the table including Peyton Manning. Sports columnist Scott Fowler has written for The Charlotte Observer since 1994. On Thursday afternoon, the Carolina Panthers announced the passing of team founder and former owner Jerry Richardson. Because of his imposing build and status as a former NFL player, Richardson engendered a level of respect not often accorded to NFL owners. "I will always be grateful to him for the opportunity to coach the Carolina Panthers & for his patient, steadfast leadership during 7 seasons," Rivera said on social media. In the year 2002, he received the heart trouble and had . Richardson was . Jerry Richardson family: Who are wife Rosalind Sallenger Richardson and children Ashley, Jon and Mark? (AP Photo/Chuck Burton). I was told, 'You can't make money selling hamburgers for 15 cents.' RIP Mr. Richardson pic.twitter.com/o27b6O5Czt. He was a married man. The family is planning a private funeral service. pic.twitter.com/9Cjn0PSYW2. He fired both his sons Mark, the team president, and Jon, the director of stadium operations following a sibling squabble at the stadium in front of other employees while he was recovering from a heart transplant in 2009. Richardsons catch came in the horseshoe end of Memorial Stadium, where the rowdier Colts fans congregated. I am truly heartbroken and sad over the loss of my friend. I work, I go home, he said. But Richardsons reputation took a tremendous hit when he announced he was selling the Panthers on Dec. 17, 2017 the same day Sports Illustrated reported that four former Panthers employees received significant monetary settlements due to inappropriate sexually suggestive language and actions by Richardson. Charlotte had already become a professional sports town with the arrival of the NBA's Hornets in 1988, but those were the days when the city struggled to build an identity as anything other than a regional outpost, still confused with Charleston, S.C. or Charlottesville, Va., and years from becoming a national banking center. I've been told a lot of things.". He was 86. When he owned the team, Richardson would often refer back to the lessons learned selling hamburgers. Could the Cowboys look at a running back in first round again? Richardson served on several high-level owners committees, playing a key role in labor negotiations with the players union. Sign up for our newsletter and get every update delivered to your inbox! But Richardsons reputation took a tremendous hit when he announced he was selling the Panthers on Dec. 17, 2017, the same day Sports Illustrated reported that four former Panthers employees received significant monetary settlements due to inappropriate sexually suggestive language and actions by Richardson. March 2, 2023 / 5:16 PM / AP. With an emphasis on need-based monetary scholarships and opportunities for Wofford students, this contribution is intended for the colleges endowment. Still, Richardson often began his days at that point, at age 51, by showing up unannounced at one of the Hardees in Spartanburg, and either making biscuits, pouring coffee or taking orders at the drive-thru. But his work was hailed in league circles as a member of the league's stadium committee, and one of commissioner Roger Goodell's close circle of trusted voices. He overcame prostate cancer and underwent quadruple bypass surgery in 2002. During the year in which Richardson waited for and later recovered from his heart transplants, his two sons led the organization. He passed away in 2013 at the age of 53 after a protracted fight with cancer. Richardson was rarely one to back down from a challenge, but there were some challenges he couldn't overcome by sheer force of will and determination. Richardson had heart problems at some point during his life. Richardson had a pacemaker/defibrillator inserted in his heart in 2008, and doctors told him he would need a heart transplant. Jerry Richardson, a former NFL owner, is survived by his wife Rosalind Sallenger Richardson. Jerry Richardson Net Worth. The scholarship was meant to honor his wife and her commitment to the arts. He and his wife have two sons, Mark and Jon. He loved the NFL so much that he kept the leagues logo a shield painted on the 50-yard line at Bank of America Stadium, rather than a team logo like nearly every other team in the league. That concept was iffy enough that well-known oddsmaker Danny Sheridan gave Charlotte 50-1 odds of getting an NFL team in 1989. Jerry Richardson got his heart transplanted in the year 2009. The Spring Hope, North Carolina, native spent years trying to persuade the NFL to put a team in the Carolinas, ultimately succeeding through a relatively original concept of funding a new stadium through the sales of permanent seat licenses. The browser you are using is no longer supported on this site. He made millions in the business world in the food business, but it was football that made him happy. It was expected at the time one of the boys might inherit the team, but that never happened. Although Richardson once promised the Panthers would win a Super Bowl "within 10 years" of beginning play in 1995, they never did. When players would get into trouble, Richardson would invite them to his home and make them sit in a formal room listening to the minutes tick away on a grandfather clock before Richardson was ready to see them. "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. He provided tremendous guidance to me, and to this day, Karen and I consider him and Rosalind true friends. A former teammate of Johnny Unitas who caught a touchdown pass in the Baltimore Colts' victory over the New York Giants in the 1959 NFL championship game, Richardson only spent two years in the NFL before venturing into the restaurant business. When Greene was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2016, he mentioned Richardson and his deep love for his Panthers players in his speech. The following month the NFL fined Richardson $2.75 million for alleged workplace misconduct. It didnt go well for Hornets, Galen Youngs family upset after the woman who caused his death gets no prison time, At age 72, Dom Capers looks back and forward as he rejoins the Carolina Panthers, An astonishing legacy: Steve Joyner has coached basketball for 45 years at J.C. Smith, An island of misfit toys: Reich and original Panthers had unforgettable year in 1995, Sources: Former Panthers coach Matt Rhule seeks $5 million from team in arbitration suit, Panthers founder, former owner Jerry Richardson leaves behind a complicated legacy, Carolina Panthers founder and former owner Jerry Richardson dies at 86, A controversial history: Timeline of Jerry Richardsons life, career and team ownership, Panthers great Greg Olsen named his son after late team owner Jerry Richardson, Social media recounts Jerry Richardsons Panthers legacy the good and the bad, Former Panthers coach, players react to Panthers founder Jerry Richardsons death, From the archives: Carolinas NFL dream comes true. Photos of Jerry Richardson throughout his time with the Panthers. While Richardson seldom held press conferences even during the early seasons of the Panthers franchise, his public appearances became far less frequent in his later years. A family spokesman said Thursday that Richardson died peacefully last night at his Charlotte home.. The family did not list a cause of death. It has never returned. Net Worth: $2 Billion. "The NFL community is deeply saddened by the passing of Jerry Richardson," commissioner Roger Goodell said in a statement. Inaugural Keep Pounding High School Classic features Northwestern High School and Providence Day School. The team said that moving the statue is in the interest of public safety. It has never returned. 1:08 Jerry Richardson, founder of the Carolina Panthers, has died. We wish them much peace and comfort.". We wouldnt go into this if I didnt think we could do it, Richardson said at a Charlotte news conference on Dec. 15, 1987, when he officially announced his bid for an NFL expansion franchise. But in June 2020, the Panthers removed the statue, saying they were concerned there may be attempts to take the statue down due to protests and unrest following the death of George Floyd. What will the Buffalo Bills do without defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier? He was drafted by the Baltimore Colts in 1959 and caught a touchdown pass from Johnny Unitas in the 1959 NFL Championship Game. Entering the last preseason game before final cuts, Richardson and Michigan States John Lewis were battling for the final receiver spot. The financing plan got an enormous boost, however, due to the permanent-seat license (PSL) concept created by public relations guru Muhleman (who had also helped birth the Hornets). See video, posts and updates straight from Indianapolis as Panthers leaders speak to the media. This website uses cookies and similar technologies to ensure you get the best experience, including personalised content. In 2009, he had a successful heart transplant at Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte. Read what head coach Frank Reich said to the media during his press conference at the Combine on Wednesday. Richardson wanted $10,000 for the 61 season; the Colts offered $9,750. "Jerry Richardson brought NFL football to the Carolinas!'' In February 2021, Richardson made a $150 million gift to Wofford, pushing his personal contributions to the school to over a quarter of a billion dollars. Theres nothing Id rather do with my time than be supportive of the Carolina Panthers.. Jerry Richardson, the Carolina Panthers founder and for years one of the NFLs most influential owners until a scandal forced him to sell the team, has died. He used his championship bonus money to open the first Hardee's in Spartanburg, South Carolina close to where he had attended Wofford College. 2 days ago Former Pro Bowl tight end Greg Olsen, who played for Carolina from 2011 to 2019, revealed in a video message on Twitter that his son T.J., who was born with hypo-plastic left heart syndrome that initially required four open heart surgeries, was named in part after Richardson as the "J" is Jerry. Richardson packed up, left the Colts training camp and pointed his Oldsmobile station wagon toward the Carolinas. The third head coach Richardson hired was John Fox in 2002, who would last for nine years before Richardson fired him and hired Ron Rivera following the 2010 season. Richardson took a lower public profile in later years as his gait and speech slowed he went nine years between press conferences at one point. Wofford offered Richardson a partial scholarship worth less than $300, and he took it. He sold the team to Tepper, a hedge fund owner, in May 2018 for a then-NFL record $2.27 billion. Richardsons bid for an NFL team had to at first beat out a competing bid for a Charlotte team from Shinn. From a personal perspective, he was a wise and caring advisor to me, his fellow owners, and many Panthers players and coaches over the years.". We all felt his love, all felt his commitment, Greene said of Richardson. '', We are saddened to hear about the passing of former owner Jerry Richardson. Richardson took that playoff bonus money and invested it into the restaurant business. Richardson never addressed the allegations against him publicly. It was also reported he used a racial slur directed toward a team scout. He sold the team to Tepper, a hedge fund owner, in May 2018 for a then-NFL record $2.27 billion. After a bad first half, Richardson caught several passes in the second half from Johnny Unitas and made the team. He ultimately became a millionaire and used that money to purchase the Panthers for $206 million. Richardson then accompanied the Olsens to Boston for a medical consultation. Who was Jerry Richardson?