The last time Carolina Panthers owner Jerry Richardson held a press conference, Cam Newton was a week away from leading Auburn to the BCS title. More than five years later, Newton's helped turn the organization into a sustained winner, but Richardson has remained elusive with the media.
That’s why it’s worth carving out 10 minutes or so to read this piece by Bill King of the SportsBusiness Journal. The final installment of the SBJ’s "2016 class of The Champions” is the closest anyone’s come in a while to writing a Richardson biography.
After earning Richardson’s buy-in, King’s access included Richardson's NFC Championship celebration and a talk in the shadow of the famed grandfather clock.
One of the more newsworthy items is a long list of Richardson’s current ailments. We already knew about his shoulder that required surgery this week, but the 79-year-old also recently tore his rotator cuff and his Achilles, plus he’s dealing with a knee that should be replaced.
Each of those injuries could be repaired through surgery, but because he’s had a heart transplant and battled kidney disease the risk of infection is great enough that he has opted against it. The meeting with his doctors was to discuss whether it was time to change course.
“I’m consciously trying to re-evaluate and recalibrate how I live my life,” Richardson said. “It’s draining.”
King touches on Richardson’s role in the NFL’s relocation to Los Angeles, but not on his disappointment of being on the losing end. Yet there’s a number of anecdotes you may or may not know about Richardson’s pre-Panthers life, how he landed an NFL team and his role in the league’s last labor battle.
"When (former union head Gene) Upshaw asked what Richardson intended to do about the impasse, he responded that he would report it to the then-new commissioner, Goodell, along with a recommendation that they opt out of the agreement.
Upshaw chuckled at the prospect.
“The players are chomping at the bit for you to opt out of the agreement because you’ll have an uncapped year,” Upshaw said. “And you can’t get 24 votes anyway, because the owners don’t want to deal with an uncapped year.”
“We’ll see,” Richardson said. And he left."
There are a handful of shorter stories linked off the main post, including a look at Richardson’s relationship with his players. Considering cornerback Josh Norman’s contract situation, how's this for irony?
Norman now refers to Richardson as his life coach and Richardson jokes with Norman’s family that he is the player’s “personal coach.” They rarely speak of football, other than as it relates to their common path from small college football to NFL success. Mostly, they talk about finances, preparation and life management.
The bulk of King’s work is packed into the main piece, which totals more than 5,300 words. Some are even from Richardson.
When asked about firing his sons seven months after he had a heart transplant, an emotional Richardson explained it was to erase “any potential question marks” for his wife, Rosalind.
Richardson knew from conversations with other NFL families that generational transition was often chaotic and could lead to heartbreak. He didn’t want his children quarreling about the franchise, or what to do with it after he was gone.
“You start thinking about, well, I gotta make sure things are right for Roz,” Richardson said. “If there were things in my life that I didn’t want her dealing with, I dealt with them while I could.”
Because Richardson stays so far out of the spotlight, the Internet era mostly sees him a grumpy NFL owner. But as his ailments add up, he’s cut down on his league responsibilities. The hope is he’ll try to keep a more manageable schedule. Key word — try.
“I’m going to try to live more civil,” Richardson said. “I’ve never lived a calm life. I can’t remember a time — maybe fleeting days — but I’ve never lived what I’d call a giddy life. I’ve never lived a giddy life.
“I don’t think I’m going to live one now. But if there is one, I’d like to try it for a while.”