Jerry Richardson thanks fans after Panthers sale finalized

Outgoing Carolina Panthers owner Jerry Richardson thanked the fans after the sale of the franchise was completed on Monday.

The team confirmed that Pittsburgh Steelers minority owner David Tepper has officially taken control of the organization as of Monday, and with it came a note from Richardson, who had been Carolina’s first and only owner.

Jerry Richardson's farewell message pic.twitter.com/jHhaO6YxaV

— Carolina Panthers (@Panthers) July 9, 2018

Unsurprisingly, the note is fairly straightforward and makes no reference to the circumstances that led to the sale in the first place. The Panthers are, no doubt, hoping they’ll be able to move on and focus on the future of the franchise under Tepper now that Richardson is out of the picture with a very healthy financial payoff.