It’s no secret that David Tepper, owner of the Carolina Panthers, has been gunning for a new and much-improved practice facility for the team.
His plans are large and would provide the team with new indoor and outdoor practice fields as well as relocating the team administrative offices.
In keeping with the “One Team, Two States” theme, Tepper has approached South Carolina lawmakers to move forward with this future project. The Panthers will truly be one team in two states, South Carolina House Speaker Jay Lucas said as he repeated the team’s motto when it first started playing in 1995.
Tepper met with Governor Henry McMaster and other legislative leaders on March 13 in Columbia, South Carolina, to discuss a potential deal and stated he was very interested in what South Carolina had to offer, according to McMaster. However, no deal has been finalized quite yet.
Since purchasing the team in the summer of 2018, Tepper has made it a priority to upgrade the team’s practice facilities to rival other teams such as the Dallas Cowboys. The current practice field is an outdoor facility and is located outside of the stadium in uptown Charlotte. During inclement weather, the team is forced to relocate to a ballroom. This past season was especially harrowing due to the record amounts of rain the Charlotte area received during the last few months of the season.
During a press conference following the meeting with Tepper, South Carolina lawmakers talked as if the relocation was a done deal, with a proposal that could potentially include not just the practice facility, but the team offices and a new complex. The proposal would include a sports medicine center, hotels, restaurants, and retail shops. However, Tepper was not present at the news conference that was held at the capitol following the meeting and the team has not commented on the possible proposal.
It is still possible that Charlotte or another location in North Carolina may decide to make a counteroffer to keep all aspects of the team in the same area that the team currently plays their home games.
“We’re not concerned about that. We are thinking about South Carolina,” McMaster said. “We know we can outrun anyone on the field.”
The new facility would bring 150 jobs, including coaches, players, marketing staff, team executives and others for a total impact of $190 million, McMaster noted.
At this time, the locations that have been discussed and are under consideration are York County and Lancaster County. Both locations are about 20 miles south of uptown Charlotte where Bank of America Stadium is currently located.
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