Carolina Panthers' David Tepper left off list of most meddlesome owners in sports
David Tepper has long been criticized as one of the worst owners in sports. Since taking over the Carolina Panthers, they have had one of the worst win percentages not just in the NFL but in the entire American sports world. Part of that has been his own influence on the team.
He was reportedly very hands-on in the process for a long time, pushing the team to make decisions that dramatically backfired later and then firing those who helped make those decisions. He seems to have backed off now, but that wasn't always the case. In spite of all that, he didn't even make the list of the most meddlesome owners in sports.
David Tepper isn't the most meddlesome owner out there
According to Bleacher Report, at least seven owners of professional sports franchises are worse than Carolina Panthers owner David Tepper. That's a bold claim given how bad Tepper's Panthers have been since he took over.
Tepper was responsible for bringing in Matt Rhule, a disastrous hire following Steve Wilks' inspired run as interim head coach. He fired Rhule well before the end of his contract. He was also allegedly part of the decision-making that led to Cam Newton's premature release, a decision the Panthers are finally beginning to recover from.
He brought in Frank Reich to fix things and reportedly convinced the team to select Bryce Young instead of CJ Stroud. Now, that doesn't look so bad, but the trade-up remains a costly one, and in 2023, Young looked like a surefire bust. He fired Reich after 11 abysmal contests.
He finally brought in Dave Canales and promoted Dan Morgan to GM and seems to have taken a step back with them in town. They're building something, and Tepper is finally willing to let them do so. Still, it was an all-time run of blunders from the Panthers owner.
James Dolan (New York Knicks), Francesco Aquilini (Vancouver Canucks), Jimmy Haslam (Cleveland Browns), Woody Johnson (New York Jets), Jerry Jones (Dallas Cowboys), Vivek Ranadive (Sacramento Kings), and Jerry Reinsdorf (Chicago White Sox) made the list.
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