Posted in: NFL, Sports | Tagged: Carolina Panthers, donald trump, entertainment, HRL, Jerry Richardson, nfl, sports

Jerry Richardson, Former NFL Player And Current Owner, Fears Politicizing The Game

Published Mon, 25 Sep 2017 16:25:06 -0500

We have been covering a lot of the response to the #TakeTheKnee controversy that stemmed from Donald Trump's comments at a rally in Alabama. The NFL is a huge part of the sports/entertainment field, and it's unprecedented to have a sitting president recommend that owners fire players because of their decision to peacefully protest the treatment of minorities. But we currently live in a country where the unprecedented is happening every day, and most often in a negative way.

We've heard from athletes and owners in multiple sports, and the issue is burning up social media. And through all of it, I have been curiously waiting for a statement from the Carolina Panthers owner Jerry Richardson. Up until today, the Panthers and Dallas Cowboys were the only teams not to make a statement. That changed not long ago when Richardson put out the following:

"We are proud of the men we have on this football team. Our players have been active and impactful participants in making our community stronger. From the first time I stepped into an NFL locker room at Memorial Stadium in Baltimore in 1959, I have lived and seen the sport's ability to bring people of all backgrounds together. Politicizing the game is damaging and it takes the focus off the greatness of the game itself and those who plays it."

The reason I wanted to hear Richardson's response is he is a unique figure in the NFL. He is the only former player to ever own an NFL team. In his statement, he talks about stepping into an NFL locker room, this was after he was drafted in the 13th round by the defending champion Baltimore Colts. Richardson played two seasons as a tight end in the NFL, catching a touchdown pass in the 1959 NFL Championship Game from quarterback Johnny Unitas. He took his NFL money and helped Charles Bradshaw to open the first Hardee's franchise in Spartanburg. He built up his fortune from there and eventually bought into the NFL for an expansion team with the Panthers starting in 1995.

He is the only owner in the NFL to have experienced the game as an NFL player. His perspective is unique and he's been around the sport for almost 60 years. And I think he speaks for a lot of people that want to turn on football and other sports as an escape from the political quagmire that we've been embroiled in for far too long.

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