Jerry Richardson doesn’t get it. Some warmed over boilerplate only addresses the true believers in Panther-land — which does not extend to actual fans of competent pro football in the Carolinas.
Richardson continues with the “we had no idea” cover story — that blowing up the team and running off every veteran over 30 while spending zero dollars on free-agent starters would have no negative impact on the field. Even if you bought that line, how could you possibly feel good about the Panthers and Richardson going forward considering that Marty “The Lig” Hurney still is in charge of personnel?
But the nadir comes with this graf:
Allow me to raise another personal issue. Much has been made of my reluctance to address the play of the team in the media. Throughout the history of the franchise, I have rarely done in-season interviews. It’s just not my style. In my opinion, comments from ownership during the season are a distraction, and I do not want my comments to interfere in any way with the performance on the field.
Kitty-litter, Jerry. What you mean to say is that in-season comments transmitted directly and secretly to players with the intent of changing performance on the field are more your style. Exhibit A remains Keyshawn Johnson. The Big Cat wants to keep fans out of the loop when he goes about making a distraction out of himself.
And make no mistake, Richardson has made himself the alpha and omega of the Panthers. Everything hinges on him going forward. His coaching hire, his role in the CBA talks, his willingness to spend money on free-agents and what may well be the top pick in the draft. For a guy who says he wants to stay in the shadows it is beyond ironic that Richardson is a now a tiger in a spotlight.
