Steve Smith wasn’t too happy with Ric Flair‘s connection to the San Francisco 49ers earlier this week, but Carolina Panthers fans may have taken that anger a bit too far.
Smith, who explained that he and Flair are friends, criticized the former WWE superstar about his bandwagon jumping, saying that Flair “burned a bridge” with the team by giving the 49ers a pep talk before their game in Green Bay last weekend. Flair, who lives in Charlotte, N.C., has felt the wrath of some locals even worse, though, receiving death threats from Panthers fans this week, according to Jonathan Jones of The Charlotte Observer.
Flair, 64, is a longtime North Carolina resident and has been a Panthers supporter for quite some time. He even gave the team a pep talk of their own earlier this season ahead of a crucial game against the New England Patriots on Monday Night Football.
Panthers fans’ bitter reaction to The Nature Boy’s fair-weather fandom has apparently made Flair weary, announcing that he won’t be attending Sunday’s game at Bank of America Stadium. Flair even released a statement explaining why he wouldn’t be attending the game.
“What can I say? I’ve always been a very good heel!” Flair said.
Check out a video of Flair’s pump-up speech to the 49ers’ team in the video below.
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