David Tepper may be the new owner of the Carolina Panthers
P.J. Hall Jersey , but he's powerless to remove the statue of previous owner Jerry Richardson.Tepper spoke to reporters Tuesday after finalizing his purchase of the team Monday. During the press conference, he revealed he's "contractually obligated" to keep Richardson's statue outside Bank of America Stadium, per the Associated Press (via ESPN.com).NFL Network's Ian Rapoport offered more information behind the story:Ian Rapoport RapSheetOn new #Panthers owner David Tepper being contractually obligated to keep Jerry Richardson鈥檚 statue in place: Source says it was included in the contract terms presented to all the bidders by the seller鈥檚 lawyer. ... Sounds like it was non-negotiable.The Panthers unveiled the statue, which stands almost 13 feet, in July 2016 to honor Richardson, who had been the franchise's only owner after bringing Charlotte into the NFL in 1993.Richardson put the Panthers up for sale in December following a report by Sports Illustrated's L. Jon Wertheim and Viv Bernstein that detailed allegations of inappropriate workplace behavior made against him. The NFL issued a $2.75 million fine to Richardson in June.Tepper reached an agreement in May to purchase the Panthers for $2.2 billion, the highest price ever for an NFL franchise. Terry and Kim Pegula owned the previous mark
Tarik Cohen Bears Jersey , having paid $1.4 billion for the Buffalo Bills in October 2014. The Denver Broncos declined to exercise outside linebacker Shane Ray's $9.23 million fifth-year option for 2019 on Thursday, a week after selecting North Carolina State pass rusher Bradley Chubb in the NFL draft.
Ray, the team's top pick in 2015, promised a big bounce-back season after the Broncos selected Chubb with the fifth overall draft pick, something he'll need if he's going to cash in as an unrestricted free agent next March.
Ray's fifth-year option would have been worth more than his four-year, $9,118
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Ray, who turns 25 in two weeks, has started just 15 games in three NFL seasons, collecting 84 tackles, 13 sacks and two fumble recoveries.
That production is similar to that of Shaq Barrett, an undrafted free agent from Colorado State who has 108 tackles, 11 sacks and seven forced fumbles over the past three seasons in Denver
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Barrett will make $2.914 million this season after the Broncos placed a second-round tender on him this offseason. By contrast, Ray's 2018 salary is $1.678 million.
Playing behind DeMarcus Ware and Von Miller, Ray had a solid rookie season, one that culminated in a pair of tackles and a forced fumble in the Broncos' win over Carolina in Super Bowl 50.
In 2016, he posted eight sacks and 48 tackles and became the first player since Jacksonville's John Henderson in 2002 to collect three sacks in his first career start.
He looked primed for a breakout season last year following Ware's retirement, but he broke his left wrist in July, which required a series of surgeries and forced him to miss half the season. Unable to hit the weights
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Ray took to social media during the draft, promising to rebound from his injury-marred season. After a series of exchanges with his Twitter followers over the weekend, he posted, "No more social media. I'm going dark" with a peace sign emoji.
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