The far-left owner of the NFL’s worst team of the 2023 season has been slapped with a huge fine after he was recorded throwing a drink at fans during a game on Sunday.
The lowly 2-14 Carolina Panthers will finish their season this weekend in the league cellar and without an opportunity for the first overallpick in the upcoming NFL Draft.
Maybe it was out of frustration or maybe Panthers owner David Tepper has no respect for paying fans, but the billionaire hedge fund manager was videoed throwing his drink out into a crowd from his luxury booth in Jacksonville.
Tepper emptied his cup out of an opened window and then tossed it aside out of apparent frustration, according to a video posted to X.
Looks like Panthers owner David Tepper threw a drink into the crowd…pic.twitter.com/dP9zEmbyrz
— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) December 31, 2023
The Panthers went on to lose the game to the Jaguars 26-0, ESPN reported.
The NFL announced Tuesday that Tepper, the league’s second wealthiest owner, would be fined $300,000 for his actions.
In a statement posted on the social media platform X, the league called the team owner out for a lack of “respect” for the fans who pay the bills.
Was the NFL’s fine too excessive?
“The National Football League today fined Carolina Panthers’ chairman David Tepper $300,000 for his unacceptable conduct in Jacksonville during Sunday’s game,” the league said in a statement.
The NFL added, “All NFL personnel are expected to conduct themselves at all times in ways that respect our fans and favorably reflect on their team and the NFL.”
From the NFL:
“The National Football League today fined Carolina Panthers’ chairman David Tepper $300,000 for his unacceptable conduct in Jacksonville during Sunday’s game. All NFL personnel are expected to conduct themselves at all times in ways that respect our fans and…
— Mike Kaye (@mike_e_kaye) January 2, 2024
Tepper’s apparent fit of rage went viral online, even leading to comments about it from his own players — linebacker Shaq Thompson and rookie quarterback Bryce Young.
Panthers linebacker Shaq Thompson doesn’t condone anyone throwing a drink on anybody. pic.twitter.com/rVOLhPU4bq
— David Newton (@DNewtonespn) January 3, 2024
Panthers’ QB Bryce Young kept referring to David Tepper’s statement on the drink throwing incident and didn’t go beyond that. pic.twitter.com/vTEINPlNTc
— David Newton (@DNewtonespn) January 3, 2024
Others in the sports world laid into Tepper for the showing of poor sportsmanship.
“The NFL whiffed on this one in a big way. Don’t let him go to the game. That punishes a billionaire more… You put him in timeout. $300,000, yes it’s a lot of money, but not to a guy that’s worth $20 billion.”
-DP reacts to the NFL giving David Tepper a $300K fine pic.twitter.com/yE7Zwv38sL
— Dan Patrick Show (@dpshow) January 3, 2024
“The David Tepper situation in Carolina is fascinating..
We all know what would happened if a player did something similar” ~ @JJWatt #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/lwj6QWXCxe
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) January 3, 2024
.@RobGronkowski says David Tepper wasn’t nearly “blacked out” enough to be acting like that 😭@heykayadams pic.twitter.com/iOOh2d0PqE
— Up & Adams (@UpAndAdamsShow) January 3, 2024
Tepper bought the Panthers in 2018.
That same year, Tepper recalled a story in which he said he told a college student that then-president Donald Trump was a “demented, narcissistic scumbag,” Sports Illustrated reported.
