Statue of Ex-Panthers Owner Jerry Richardson Removed at Bank of America Stadium

A statue of former Carolina Panthers owner Jerry Richardson is being removed from outside Bank of America Stadium.  

Per the Charlotte Post, the statue will be taken down at 2 p.m. local time:

In a statement from the Panthers, Richardson's statue is being moved "in the interest of public safety":   

Richardson established the Panthers and owned the franchise for 23 seasons from 1995-2017. The 83-year-old announced in December 2017 that he was selling the team. 

The decision to put the Panthers up for sale came after Sports Illustrated's L. Jon Wertheim and Viv Bernstein reported four former team employees received "significant" financial settlements following complaints and allegations against Richardson for "sexual harassment against female employees and for directing a racial slur at an African American employee."

The NFL announced Richardson had been fined $2.75 million in June 2018. 

David Tepper, who had been a minority owner of the Pittsburgh Steelers since 2009, purchased the Panthers from Richardson for $2.275 billion in June 2018. Tepper told reporters at his introductory press conference, "I’m contractually obligated to keep that statue as it is."

The statue, which was built in 2016 to coincide with Richardson's 80th birthday, features the franchise's former owner and two Panthers on either side of him.