Being an NFL owner has its perks. Among them: receiving awesome birthday presents.
Carolina Panthers owner Jerry Richardson recently turned 80, but rather than celebrating the occasion with cake and ice cream, the Panthers decided to take things to the next level.
How, you ask? By presenting Richardson with a statue — of himself.
https://twitter.com/RussOwensTV/status/755113818393612288
#Panthers partners unveil statue in honor of Jerry Richardson, who turns 80 today » https://t.co/L4NSkdilHj pic.twitter.com/uExGLpXO4b
— Carolina Panthers (@Panthers) July 18, 2016
View photos from the surprise event honoring #Panthers Owner/Founder Jerry Richardson » https://t.co/Szp9WquvSn pic.twitter.com/9KNJZDbQdx
— Carolina Panthers (@Panthers) July 19, 2016
The 13-foot sculpture, which sits at the entrance of Bank of America Stadium, is anything but tame. Richardson is flanked by two massive panthers, which, according to artist and creator Todd Andrews, have special significance.
“Each panther represents more than one thing,” Andrews said, via the team’s official website. “One represents the offense, the other the defense. And because of what they are and who they’re standing next to, they represent North Carolina and South Carolina. And then you take all three of them together, and I think of them as three panthers because Mr. Richardson is definitely a Panther.”
Getting immortalized in bronze isn’t the worst way to spend your birthday.
As ESPN’s Darren Rovell points out, we could see more statues of NFL owners in the near future. Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, of course, is a prime candidate — in fact, we wouldn’t be surprised if blueprints already are in the works for a bust of Jones at Jerry World.
Thumbnail photo via Kirby Lee/USA TODAY Sports Images
