David Tepper Addresses the Firing of Matt Rhule

The Panthers team owner spoke with the media Monday to discuss the coaching change.

Monday morning, the Carolina Panthers fired head coach Matt Rhule just two years and some change into a seven-year deal that the two sides agreed upon in the winter of 2020.

Rhule went 11-27 in 38 games as the man in charge.

Just a few hours after the team's announcement, team owner David Tepper met with the media to discuss the move. 

"These days are never easy. I had a conversation with the coach this morning. It was short, cordial. He's a gentleman - a true gentleman. I then had a conversation with Steve Wilks and named him interim coach.

"A lot of time has passed here. We have the record we have and there's different reasons that go into that. I think that there has been progress of some sort but look, we're just not getting over the hump and we got to get over the hump."

When questions were asked about the search to find the next head coach, Tepper responded by saying that it was too premature to answer at the current time. He also didn't rule out giving the job to Wilks full-time.

"We are far away from that right now. We have a lot of season left. Steve Wilks is the coach," said Tepper. "There's a lot of season left and we'll see how the season goes. Ultimately, he's in a position to be in consideration for that position. I had a talk with Steve. No promises were made, but obviously, if he does an incredible job, he has to be in consideration for that."

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