What's Going On In the Carolina Panthers Front Office?

Yesterday was a shocking day for Carolina Panthers fans. Team president Mark Richardson and stadium president Jon Richardson abruptly resigned from their positions immediately. Both men are sons of team owner Jerry Richardson.

From what the Charlotte Observer is reporting [1], the two sons were at odds about how the team should be run. The battle was so bad that the dad decided the best thing is to have both guys leave the organization.

This is an extremely interesting and potentially troubling move for Panther fans. Mark and Jon ran the team last season while Jerry was dealing with heart issues that resulted in getting a heart transplant. That move made many to believe that the elder Richardson may step further away from his duties and let his sons run the team (similar to the Yankees and the Steinbrenners). Carolina has been a family run franchise since the beginning and Jerry Richardson is revered as one of the best owners in the NFL.

The problem is that the dress rehearsal didn't go that well. Mark and Jon had equal power and neither answered to the other. So there was a great opportunity for heads to butt and feelings to get hurt. Just because you are brothers and both care about the same thing doesn't mean you'll see eye-to-eye about handling it.

The one silver lining is that this also shows us that Jerry Richardson must be feeling pretty good. The fact that he's been dealing with this and was able to make a decision like that is quite remarkable after what he's gone through. Jerry met with the minority owners (both sons still own a stake in the team) to assure them that he's running the ship and that the front office changes are for the better. He's not selling and the team is not moving.

What it does do is put the future of the organization in some doubt. As a Redskins fan, I remember seeing the ailing Jack Kent Cooke in the 1990s and wondered what would happen if he decided to sell or if he passed away while owner. I think the same thing for the Lakers' Dr. Jerry Buss (who also has a lot of his family involved in running the team). In a city that's built on banking, now isn't the time to think about a change in ownership or rocking the boat.

[1]-http://www.charlotteobserver.com/121/story/922169.html