Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones had nothing but kind words for former Carolina Panthers owner Jerry Richardson, who died Thursday at the age of 86.

Richardson was the founding owner of the Panthers, and remained in control of the franchise until he solid it in 2018 to David Tepper.

Jones fondly remembered Richardson's time in the NFL. “Jerry had a dream of bringing an NFL team to his home state, and he made that a reality,” Jones said. “Football was part of his DNA, and Jerry's dedication towards the growth and evolution of the NFL was evident from the time he was first awarded a franchise in 1993.”

Richardson's time as an NFL owner came to an end shortly after he was cited in a Sports Illustrated report that accused him of making settlements over inappropriate workplace conduct.

Tepper eventually bought the team for $2.2 billion. Richardson would later be fined $2.75 million as a result of the information in the allegations.

Richardson played in the NFL in 1959 and 1960 as a receiver. He caught 15 passes throughout his career, and he also caught a touchdown pass from Johnny Unitas in the 1959 NFL title game.

After his brief playing career, Richardson turned his  attention to the business world. He would use the bonus money he received in the NFL to buy a Hardee's franchise that became successful.

Richardson would expand his business interests and he was the co-founder of Spartan Foods. He would eventually become the Chief Executive Officer of Flagstar before retiring in 1995. At that point he turned his full attention to running the Panthers, and along with Jerry Jones, he became one of the NFL's most influential executives.