After footage was released by TMZ last week of Panthers offensive lineman Taylor Hearn appearing to be knocked out in a late night fight outside of a bar in Augusta, GA on the evening of March 14th, Hearn has released a statement apologizing to his fans, teammates and Panthers Nation.
Hearn, who measures in at 6-4 and 315 pounds, was shown in the video pushing and throwing punches at three different people before a blow from one of his opponents knocked him to the ground – the 23-year old Hearn, whose hometown of Williston, SC is less than an hour from Augusta, was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Panthers after the 2018 draft and spent most of the season on the practice squad before being activated to the active roster for the final four games of the season and playing 13 snaps on special teams over the course of the final month.
Hearn started all 15 games of his final season at Clemson as the Tigers won the National Championship.
The Panthers released a statement the day the video was released:
“We are aware of the video, and have been in contact with Taylor and the league about the incident. We will have no further comment at this time.”
Hearn issued the following statement on Thursday morning:
“Dear Panther Nation:
I would like to offer my deepest apologies to the Panthers organization, my teammates and coaches, the fans and the League. I take full responsibility for my actions. There is no excuse for my behavior, and I will learn from my mistakes.
– Taylor Hearn”
Hearn signed a two-year contract worth $1.05m before the 2018 season and is currently set to count for $570k, which is the league minimum for players with one season of NFL tenure, against the salary cap in 2019.
