No one would blame Carolina Panthers owner David Tepper for being frustrated. After yet another embarrassing loss to the Jaguars on Sunday, his team clinched the worst record in the NFL this year. However, unlike most teams that end up with the worst record in the league, his team will not be rewarded with the top pick in the NFL draft, because the Panthers traded away this year’s pick in order to move up in last year’s draft to draft Bryce Young with the number one overall pick. Young, meanwhile, has struggled mightily this year, including in yesterday’s game where he threw for a paltry 112 yards with no touchdowns and an interception.
However, the way in which Tepper expressed his frustration may get Tepper in hot water with the league after he was caught on video throwing his drink on some Jaguars fans who were sitting outside his luxury box at the game.
The video was originally posted to instagram by user c_honsberger, and appears to have occurred with about three minutes left in the game after Young threw his interception. It is unclear what may have happened before the incident between Tepper and the fans outside his box to spark the incident.
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After the video circulated on social media, the NFL issued a statement saying they were “aware of the video” but declining further comment. The Panthers and Tepper also refused requests for comment from numerous media outlets in the wake of the incident.
Tepper isn’t the only person associated with the Panthers who expressed his frustration in less than productive ways Sunday. Young was caught on video throwing a tablet in frustration after being sacked.
The Panthers are currently 2-14. Every other team in the NFL has won at least four games. The Panthers have not made the playoffs once since Tepper bought the team in 2018, but he did promise that the team would win multiple Super Bowls with Young at quarterback. While Young has struggled this year, some of the blame for those struggles may well lie at the feet of the rest of his team, which has also struggled mightily in every facet of the game this season.
C.J. Stroud, who was taken with the number two pick after Young, has flourished in Houston, throwing 21 touchdowns versus only five interceptions and posting the sixth-best quarterback rating in the league as a rookie.