Sale of Carolina Panthers from Richardson to Tepper complete

Ex-Lions TE Pettigrew arrested

NEW YORK, July 10, (RTRS): The sale of the Carolina Panthers from founder Jerry Richardson to new owner David Tepper is complete, the team announced on Monday.

Tepper, 60, was approved unanimously as the team’s new owner at the league’s meetings in May. The founder of hedge fund Appaloosa Management LP, he has a net worth estimated by Forbes at $11 billion and bought the Panthers for $2.275 billion, the largest sum ever paid for an NFL franchise.

“I am thrilled to begin this new era of Carolina Panthers football and am humbled by the overwhelming excitement and support for the team,” Tepper said in a statement. “On behalf of the fans and myself, I thank Jerry Richardson for bringing the team to the Carolinas and for entrusting me with its future. Winning is the most important thing both on the field and in the community, and I am committed to winning a Super Bowl championship together. I look forward to being part of the Panthers’ family and to supporting this flourishing region.”

A former Pittsburgh Steelers minority owner, Tepper was required to sell the 5 percent stake that he owned in the Steelers, per NFL rules. He emphasized his desire to win and his plan to keep the team in Charlotte when he was introduced after his approval in May.

The team also announced Monday the resignation of chief operating officer Tina Becker, who worked for the Panthers for 19 seasons and ran the club since December, after Richardson stepped away.

Tepper

Former first-round pick and ex-Detroit Lions tight end Brandon Pettigrew reportedly was arrested early Monday morning in Pittsburgh, with police alleging he punched a police officer three times in the chest.

According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the 33-year-old Pettigrew was charged with two counts of aggravated assault and theft of services and public drunkenness.

Pettigrew, who last played in the NFL in 2015, was booked after an alleged dispute with a limousine driver upon being dropped off at approximately 3 am at the DoubleTree Hotel in downtown Pittsburgh. After he reportedly refused to pay a $97 fare, the driver called police from the hotel lobby. Pettigrew apparently did not identify himself to authorities when asked, finally acquiescing after being threatened with a Taser.

Pettigrew was transported to the Allegheny County Jail, per the report.

The former Oklahoma State tight end was picked in the first round (No. 20 overall) in the 2009 NFL Draft. Pettigrew played seven seasons with Detroit, catching 301 passes for 2,965 yards and 17 touchdowns in 93 games (85 starts). He never officially declared his NFL retirement, but he has not played since sustaining a torn anterior cruciate ligament during his final season.

Dallas Cowboys cornerback Marquez White has been charged with second-degree aggravated assault with a deadly weapon stemming from an alleged road-rage incident that occurred in October, according to multiple reports.

An indictment against White was handed up on June 7, and White was arrested June 15. He is free on $7,500 bond.

In a statement on his Instagram account, White, 23, said he was driving on the Dallas North Tollway in Plano, Texas, on Oct 20. An “aggressive driver” was following him closely, then began driving next to him, White said. At that point, the man yelled racial slurs and threats, the player said.