The Carolina Panthers may have a new owner in David Tepper, but they will still be reminded of his predecessor Jerry Richardson whenever they head to Bank of America Stadium for the foreseeable future.

Per Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer, Tepper revealed during his introductory press conference on Tuesday that he is “contractually obligated” not to remove the statue of Richardson found outside the stadium.

Ian Rapoport of NFL Network later shed more light onto that unusual stipulation:

On new Panthers owner David Tepper being contractually obligated to keep Jerry Richardson’s statue in place: Source says it was included in the contract terms presented to all the bidders by the seller’s lawyer. … Sounds like it was non-negotiable.

The Panthers erected the 13-foot-tall statue in July 2016 to honor Richardson, who had been the franchise's only owner since their inception in 1993.

However, Richardson’s time as owner effectively came to a close after the stunning allegations of inappropriate workplace behavior against him were revealed. He was recently fined $2.75 million by the NFL for those violations.

Despite that huge stain on his legacy, Richardson obviously still felt the need to maintain his mark on the franchise. That desire was apparently so strong that he basically made retaining his statue a non-negotiable part of the deal to buy the team.

The fact that Richardson’s statue will remain up indefinitely likely won’t please those who denounce his misdeeds. But unless Tepper is willing to go against his contractual obligation, Richardson’s statue－and everything it represents－will continue to cast its shadow for years to come.