The Carolina Panthers are in a bit of hot water with the NFL after violating league rules during their search for a head coach. While no punishment has been given yet, the league has been in contact with the Panthers, alerting them to their alarming violation.
The violation stems from Nicole Tepper, Chief Administrative Officer of Tepper Sports & Entertainment and Panthers' owner David Tepper's wife, not fulfilling the required inclusive hiring training, via Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports. All members of any team's head coaching search committe must complete the required training.
Jones noted that the league reached out to the Panthers on Wednesday to remind them of this rule. Jonathan Beane, the NFL's senior vice president of chief and chief diversity and inclusion officer released a statement on how important the inclusive hiring training is in any head coaching search.
“The inclusive hiring training is a key element of our efforts to foster an equitable hiring process,” Beane said. “Any suggestion that this mandatory requirement was not met by applicable clubs will be addressed and corrected immediately.”
The Panthers released a statement of their own, simply saying, “(Nicole) was trained prior to participating in interviews.
Carolina is in desperate need of a difference-making head coach. They haven't reached the postseason since 2017. Their gamble on former Baylor head coach Matt Rhule failed, as he went just 11-27 during his tenure.
At the moment, the Panthers aren't facing any disciplinary measures. But for a team looking to rebound and build into the future, this isn't a great start to Carolina's offseason.
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