CHARLOTTE — One of the most authoritative voices covering the NFL — Peter King of NBC Sports — told CBJ this week that he is baffled by the quagmire that the Carolina Panthers’ stalled headquarters project has become.
[ READ MORE: ‘Depressing’: SC Panthers fans disappointed with practice facility standstill ]
The NFL team’s parent company, Tepper Sports & Entertainment, disclosed last month that it was ending contracts with the city of Rock Hill for a team training facility and headquarters that is already more than half-built. That move followed a decision in March to temporarily pause construction as the Panthers and owner David Tepper balked over $225 million in public site improvements not yet funded by the city of Rock Hill.
Since the two sides issued dueling press releases in April, with each accusing the other of misleading or ill-advised public statements, no one has said anything — and nothing is getting built on the 240-acre site near Interstate 77.
“You always think that a person who has done so well in business, which obviously David Tepper has done exceedingly well in business, that something like this would not happen, that he would have it all figured out,” King told CBJ. “He’d have it all buttoned up. It isn’t surprising to me that they don’t have a quarterback yet. Because a lot of incredibly rich men have basically dug a lot of dry wells looking for quarterbacks. There’s only a finite number of Justin Herberts and Patrick Mahomeses. But this is business. This is something that just should not happen.”
Find out what else King had to say here.
(WATCH BELOW: Tepper on Rock Hill practice facility: ‘We released a statement already’)
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