Carolina Panthers owner David Tepper “answered questions” from Charlotte-area media Wednesday, the first time he has held a “full-on press conference” on the record with local reporters in nearly three years, according to Scott Fowler of the CHARLOTTE OBSERVER. The last time Tepper spoke with local media prior to Wednesday was Nov. 28, 2023, when he “held a 14-minute press conference” after firing former coach Frank Reich. Since then, Tepper has “appeared at various charity events in Charlotte” and “taken a few questions here and there, although many of those were about the charitable event in question.” He also held a “fireside chat” with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell in July in Charlotte but did “not take questions from the local media.” While Tepper met with the media several times early in his ownership tenure, the local media “hasn’t been able to ask Tepper questions in a substantial way for years.” On Wednesday, Tepper said that he “remained optimistic” about his 2023 draft-night prediction that QB Bryce Young “could lead the Panthers to multiple Super Bowls.” However, he “deflected a couple of questions about a potential new contract extension for Young,” who is under contract through 2027. Tepper said, “Look, success is success, and you know it when you see it.” Fowler wrote for Tepper, success “would look like not one winning season in a row, but two.” The Panthers have yet to have any since Tepper bought the team in 2018 (CHARLOTTE OBSERVER, 9/9).
