It’s safe to say that David Tepper is over the 2023 season. During his team’s most recent loss — a 26-0 shutout to the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 17 — the Carolina Panthers‘ owner appeared to throw his drink at a Jacksonville Jaguars fan. The NFL came down with a financial consequence for Tepper on Tuesday: a fine of $300,000, according to CBS Sports Lead NFL Insider Jonathan Jones.
“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,” the league said in a statement, per NFL Media.
Tepper’s actions, which aren’t befitting of an NFL owner, much less a regular fan, are something he owned up to in a statement of his own on Tuesday.
“I am deeply passionate about this team and regret my behavior on Sunday,” Tepper said, per Jones. “I should have let NFL stadium security handle any issues that arose. I respect the NFL’s code of conduct and accept the League’s discipline for my behavior.”
As you can see in the video below, Tepper flips his drink in the direction of fans sitting outside of his luxury box. Tepper then turned around in disgust as a Jaguars fan began to turn toward his luxury box.
Sunday’s loss dropped Tepper’s team to 2-14, clinching the worst record in the NFL this season. The Panthers’ struggles this season led to Tepper firing Frank Reich just 11 games into his first year as the team’s head coach.
One of the biggest disappointments for the Panthers has been the stunted growth of rookie quarterback Bryce Young, who has been sacked a whopping 59 times this season. Young was taken down six times on Sunday as the Panthers gained just 124 yards and were a paltry 1 of 13 on third down. The 2023 first overall pick’s 73.7 passer rating is the worst in the NFL as is his 5.5 yards per pass attempt.
