NFL Draft to be Charlotte's next prize in major sports events?

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The Carolina Panthers are exploring a bid to bring the NFL Draft to Charlotte and leaders of city government have endorsed the idea, according to a source with knowledge of the team’s discussions.

Next week, Panthers executives are scheduled to speak with Peter O’Reilly, the NFL’s senior vice president of events, about what a formal bid would entail. The annual spring draft has morphed from an afterthought as late as the 1980s into a consistent TV draw in the 1990s and, in recent years, a popular spectator event.

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A Panthers spokesman declined comment on the team’s interest in hosting the draft. The NFL has awarded drafts for 2019, in Nashville, and 2020, in Las Vegas, meaning the earliest it could be held in Charlotte would be in 2021.

The source who spoke to CBJ said Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles and Marcus Jones, the city manager, have signaled their support during informal discussions. Lyles is out of the country for several days and could not be reached.

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Cox Media Group