BREAKING: Panthers Removing Jerry Richardson Statue

The statue was a source of controversy during the recent protests

Jerry Richardson, former owner and founder of the Panthers, is a controversial name in sports to say the very least.

Richardson sold the team in 2017 as a result of the allegations that stated that he paid off workers who he sexually harassed and made racist statements towards. Recent history shows that his views on the nonviolent protests back in 2016 also added to his already tarnished legacy. His 13-foot statue was revealed in front of Bank of America Stadium in 2016, prior to the allegations. Since then, the statue seemed to be a greater source of harm than good to the Charlotte community. Because of this, it will be removed. Joe Bruno of WSOC9 was the first to report the news.

BREAKING: The Jerry Richardson statue is coming down. Charlotte DOT is about the close the road near Bank of America Stadium to allow the work to happen pic.twitter.com/WBagBz2i2p

— Joe Bruno (@JoeBrunoWSOC9) June 10, 2020

The Panthers made a statement in regards to the removal of the statue.

We were aware of the most recent conversation surrounding the Jerry Richardson statue and are concerned there may be attempts to take it down. We are moving the statue in the interest of public safety.

— Carolina Panthers (@Panthers) June 10, 2020

Statues have been a part of a worldwide conversation as of late. 

Many of the statues that immortalized seemingly racist figureheads have been removed by both protesters and public officials after the worldwide protests against systemic racism and police brutality have been made prevalent. The removal of slave trader Edward Colston's statue in the United Kingdom may have inspired the recent trend. Here is the removal of his statue: 

Protesters against systemic racism in the UK tore down a bronze statue depicting slave trader Edward Colston, rolling it through the streets before tossing it into the river. https://t.co/TT2TU87Fh1 pic.twitter.com/miLyQkdyoq

— ABC News (@ABC) June 9, 2020

In order to keep the process more peaceful, the Panthers organization made the wise decision to transfer the statue somewhere else. 

This way, citizens won't have to resort to taking it down themselves, like the U.K. citizens did in the video above. Richardson may have been essential to the genesis of this organization, but he was certainly flawed when it comes to his recent history. The controversy surrounding the statue was too great for city officials to ignore, so the Panthers took action. This is yet another example of the organization's dedication to social justice under David Tepper's ownership.

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