REPORT: Removal of Richardson Statue Will Be Permanent

The removal of Jerry Richardson's statue has been the hot topic for a few days as protests against systemic racism and police brutality have continued around the world. The statue outside of Bank of America Stadium has been removed for the sake of public safety, as many protesters would have tried to take it down themselves.
BREAKING: The Jerry Richardson statue is coming down. Charlotte DOT is about the close the road near Bank of America Stadium to allow the work to happen pic.twitter.com/WBagBz2i2p
— Joe Bruno (@JoeBrunoWSOC9) June 10, 2020
One of the biggest questions that was initially left unanswered was, "How would Richardson respond?" According to a report from the Charlotte Observer, Richardson will not resist the removal of the statue with a lawsuit or anything of that nature.
"He's turned the pages,'' Jim Gray, Richardson's spokesperson said. "He's moved on. The statue is not his focus.''
David Tepper was initially contractually obligated to keep the statue outside of the stadium when he bought the team in 2018. However, with growing safety concerns, this gave him the opportunity to get rid of the controversial statue. The statue has been moved to an undisclosed location away from the stadium so that citizens won't have the opportunity to damage it.
The removal of the statue from Bank of America Stadium is a permanent decision that will not be overturned by the Panthers organization. The allegations involving sexual harassment and racism against Richardson are too significant to ignore. That is why he sold the team in the first place. Tepper is looking to change the reputation of the Panthers' ownership, and he seems to be doing a phenomenal job at doing so based on his actions for this organization and the Carolinas as a whole. As for the statue, sayonara!
You can follow us for future coverage by clicking "Follow" on the top right hand corner of the page. Also, be sure to like us on Facebook & Twitter:
Facebook - @PanthersOnSI
Twitter - @SI_Panthers and Jason Hewitt at @jasonhewitt50
