Owning Panthers real deal for Curry
After shootaround Monday morning, Stephen Curry reiterated that he is serious about purchasing an ownership stake in the Carolina Panthers.
“I’ve had conversations with plenty of people about it, trying to figure out the right way to go about it, and just the different approaches I could take,” Curry said. “Obviously, I have a day job, but I have people that are plugged in and trying to see that happen. I’m very interested in doing what it takes to make that happen.”
Curry has talked with music mogul Sean “P. Diddy” Combs about putting together a group to buy the Panthers, who are looking for new ownership three weeks after Jerry Richardson announced his plans to sell the team.
Though perhaps not able to be a majority owner, Curry has enough money to make a sizable investment in the franchise. He signed a five-year maximum contract worth $201 million last summer, and he boasts one of the most lucrative endorsement portfolios in professional sports.
According to Forbes, the Panthers are the 23rd-most valuable sports franchise at $1 billion. Combs has a net worth of $820 million. If Curry and Combs purchase the team, they’d be the first African American owners in NFL history.
“Knowing and having an opportunity to break that trend and stat, why not?” Curry said. “That’s a pretty powerful opportunity, and one that I know doesn’t come around that often. There’s not a lot of turnover in NFL ownership.
“You have to approach it with that in mind and a sense of urgency of doing something historical and unprecedented. I’m sure all of that stuff will come out in conversations in the next couple of weeks and months. I’ll see how it plays out.”
On Dec. 17, Richardson announced plans to sell the team after the 2017 season. That came after a Sports Illustrated article said the Panthers settled financially with at least four employees regarding Richardson’s inappropriate behavior in the workplace.
Shortly after Richardson’s announcement, Curry responded to a tweet in which Combs expressed interest in buying the Panthers, tweeting “I want in!”
Curry’s fandom of the Panthers is well-documented. He and Carolina quarterback Cam
Newton have grown closer since Curry visited Panthers training camp in summer 2012, with the two attending each others’ games when possible. Curry served as Carolina’s “Keep Pounding” drummer at Super Bowl 50.
“Obviously, I’m a fan first and foremost,” Curry said. “I’ve been a fan since I was 7, and they showed up in Charlotte. To be able to be a part of something that represents Charlotte so well and my hometown would be special. I know a lot of guys obviously that play for the team, what they represent. I’ve had some conversations with some NFL guys.
“All of those things combined, mainly them being the team that represents Charlotte on a national level and it being something that can allow me to plug into my hometown, that’s a huge part of it.” Green fined: The NBA fined Draymond Green $25,000 Monday for criticizing officials after Green told the Athletic officials are “ruining the game.”
“It’s bad,” Green said. “It’s horrible. It’s really bad. I don’t know why it is. But I think it’s ridiculous . ... It should be one of, if not the main priority, to be solved.”