NFL Rumors: Panthers Sale To David Tepper Approved By Owners’ Vote

The Carolina Panthers soon will change hands.

NFL owners voted Tuesday to approve David Tepper’s purchase of the NFL franchise, according to NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport. The vote clears the path for Jerry Richardson to sell the Panthers to Tepper, a Pittsburgh Steelers minority owner and hedge fund manager, for a reported record price of $2.2 billion.

Tepper has pledged to keep the Panthers in North Carolina, where they currently play in Charlotte’s Bank of America Stadium, under terms of the deal. His purchase of the team will end the saga that was Richardson’s final months as owner.

Richardson owned the Panthers since the NFL granted him an expansion franchise in 1993. He put the team up for sale in December amid misconduct allegations against him.