The short tenure of David Tepper as Carolina Panthers owner has been marked by kickoffs of various shapes of sizes.
We’ve seen him active from the midfield logo to the community – the team is now led out onto the field by two large state flags and they have hired a new team president with international experience. Plans for a new strategically located practice facility are all but announced.
David Tepper is putting down roots and looking to grow the Panthers brand and his arrival has injected life and spawned speculation as Panther fans learn what it means to root for their team under his watch.
One of the ways Tepper’s influence will be seen is in the men who represent him on the field. Last week, Torrey Smith, one of those onfield representatives, took to Twitter – and then doubled down after practice on Tuesday – to be publicly outspoken about Eric Reid, a free agent safety; at the same time, the Panthers were a team in need, losing one of their starting safeties, Da’Norris Searcy, to injured reserve after he suffered two concussions in less than a month.
Do y’all realize that Eric Reid and Colin Kaepernick don’t have jobs when they are young, talented, and healthy. We legit have folks who recently committed crimes (I believe in second chances) and it just blows over but they can’t get a shot? What does that say about this league?
— Torrey Smith (@TorreySmithWR) September 21, 2018
Reid, of course, is much more than just a free agent safety.
He’s been at or near the front lines of the protests during the national anthem as a teammate to Colin Kaepernick, both on and off the field. Smith’s remarks were a departure from what Panthers fans have grown to expect from Panthers players and while various Panthers players have been described as outspoken at times, their gripes were typically limited to the football field. Even then, many of those select few who dared to speak up saw their time in Carolina run short – Steve Smith and Josh Norman found themselves on the outs, in part for being outspoken. After the infamous Norman-OBJ bat game, team officials reportedly went to Norman to tone it down.
After leaving for greener pastures, Norman would refer to the Panthers organization as a “dictatorship” and he promised “blood and guts” upon his return – not exactly a clear sign of a healthy breakup.
Players – and admittedly the world itself – finding their voices on social media, is a recent phenomenon. However, the notion of a past Panthers player being outspoken about any controversial matter, let alone vouching for a free agent who happens to have a pending lawsuit against the NFL, seems at if it would have been implausible during the Richardson era.
If it did happen, there’s little doubt the player’s days would have been numbered.
While Panthers players have long been active in the community, their focus has steered towards the uncontroversial, often involving either children and people in need – we need only recall how out of character it was for two captains, Thomas Davis and Greg Olsen to be vocal about getting their own contract extensions done last offseason, let alone touching a potential political third rail like Reid.
The Panthers have long held expectations of character and conduct for any player, with a reserved right to selectively enforce from up on high.
There was the infamous request for a franchise quarterback to remain tattoo free. Or to wear a tie on the team plane.
Coach Rivera and the previous owner both echoed the sentiment that sports and politics should be kept separate. There was no question Panthers players would be expected to stand, as a team, for the national anthem. For men who embraced and lived within the structure, their loyalty was often rewarded.
For men who would have transgressions, they would be wiped away and forgotten.
This clear-cut view of the potential player pool, combined with a strong allegiance to their own players, has been both a plus and minus for Panthers fans. They have let quality players, who made mistakes as young men, sail by without consideration and doled out big money to guys at the end of their career – it’s why John Kasay wore the badge of ‘Last Original Panther’ for half of his time in Carolina; it’s also what allowed Thomas Davis to stay a Panther through three major knee injuries. It’s part of why fans were stoked to get a veteran Peanut Tillman. It’s why J-Stew was still there to mentor his heir, why Cam Newton wasn’t a captain as a rookie and why we’re all nervously awaiting both Greg Olsen’s return and Ryan Kalil’s departure.
Torrey Smith was a 2016 Walter Payton Man of the Year nominee. Unfortunately for him, he had to settle for second place, as #OlsenWPMOYChallenge celebrated one of the greatest Panthers comebacks of all-time, storming back from 100,000 tweets down on the final day to win the $25,000 social media challenge. Smith has been vocal since his arrival, promising to continue to be socially active, already working with several teammates on various projects including #SchoolsNotPrisons. Despite Smith’s close relation with Kaepernick and Reid, he has remained below the national media radar and the Panthers signing him was as non-controversial off the field as it was divisive on the field.
Photo Credit: Sports Illustrated
While people will see signing Reid as representing the new era, the fact that Torrey Smith was even allowed to speak out without recourse from the team reflected a change in one of the core tenants of what it has meant to be a Panthers player.
Without that freedom, who knows if Reid is today a Panther.
It’s possible that Mr. Tepper’s true feelings are kept behind closed doors, another characteristic of the previous administration, but that seems unlikely for the outspoken billionaire; Smith struggled at times on Sunday against the Bengals but snagged three of the four third down passes thrown his way. Through the first three games, the Panthers have rode the back of a young man who helped save a life this summer. Fans delighted in the three interceptions of a young rookie whose heart says he’s not too small and against the Bengals, we all witnessed the dazzling debut of Efe Obada, whose journey to the NFL spanned three continents and being left on the streets of London to arrive here on Sunday in spectacular fashion.
Now, Tepper’s men welcome another outspoken individual, who plays a position of need – a need so great that articles were written and missives were made by the team imploring the team to sign him and the team reportedly didn’t even ask him if he planned to continue demonstrating – something that wouldn’t have even been considered even a year ago today.
Reid, a Pro Bowler as a rookie, has battled concussions and injuries over the last several years; while he has made his mark off the field in recent years, for his time in Carolina to be remembered fondly, fans will need to see him contribute on the field. While the Panthers have certainly won the press conference today, winning the NFC South and beyond the rest of the season next week remain the goal.
Hopefully, Reid – the newest of Tepper’s men – is able to contribute in that quest.
