There are plenty of fanbases around the NFL that have more than enough reason to be irate with the state of their team. (Hello, I'm a fan of the Chicago Bears!) But only one of those fanbases this season has gone as far as planning a march outside of their team's stadium to protest the current state of affairs, according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. Say hello to the loyal fans of the Carolina Panthers!
Organized by the Panthers Nation Podcast, fans of the Panthers are being called to march on Bank of America Stadium on Sunday afternoon to… piss off David Tepper (he already looks pretty pissed)? Try to get a do-over on the Bryce Young over CJ Stroud decision? Push for change?
https://twitter.com/PantherNationPC/status/1722957791453720759
Yeah, looks like they're going with push for change.
The Panthers are 1-8, and for all intents and purposes, as close to NFL purgatory as you could possibly be. They have their rookie quarterback of the future, but Bryce Young has looked like he's in over his head and various points during the season so far, including two weeks ago when he threw two pick-sixes against the Indianapolis Colts. They have Frank Reich, the adult in the room and the head coach who was supposed to set the tone for the team moving forward after a tumultuous Matt Rhule tenure. What they do NOT have is their 2024 1st Round pick, which was sent to Chicago, along with multiple other draft picks and DJ Moore, in exchange for the number one pick, which they used on Bryce Young. This continues to loom as potentially a huge problem, since the Panthers are in the driver's seat to finish with the worst record in the NFL.
The Panthers also have an owner whose reputation is that of someone who should not be in charge of an NFL franchise. The perception around David Tepper is that he's far too involved with the Panthers for his own good. Maybe that's what the protest is all about?