YORK COUNTY, S.C. — South Carolina State Senator Wes Climer (R-York County) is not holding back on his thoughts on David Tepper and the Carolina Panthers.
It has been a month since the organization pressed pause on an $800 million construction project that included a practice facility and team headquarters in Rock Hill.
York County Council voted on March 21 to bring a new financing offer for infrastructure at the site. On March 29, Rock Hill City Council adopted a resolution supporting the financing plan.
But for the project to get the OK, Tepper Sports and Entertainment also has to sign off on the deal. WCNC Charlotte has reportedly reached out to the organization for a statement with the last attempt on April 5 with no response.
Climer told WCNC Charlotte on Wednesday everyone from the city, county and state arenas has worked over the years in good faith to bring the project to fruition. He added it is time for a resolution.
"The Panthers organization's silence is extremely discouraging," Climer explained. "It's unhelpful and frankly the community I serve deserves answers. We have a lot invested into this and it's long past time for the Panthers not only to communicate a path forward but to firmly commit to honoring their obligations to keeping their word."
A source familiar with the situation told WCNC Charlotte back in March the city of Rock Hill "did not fulfill their initial payment" by March 2021 and Tepper Sports has been "unable to gain the funding" related to infrastructure such as roads, power, sewage and water.
In response to the statement, Rock Hill leaders said during a March 14 council meeting that the Panthers did not provide sufficient details as far development plans and other checklist items that would be necessary to issue the bonds to cover the construction.
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Climer said Tepper's "fundamentally unserious" approach to the project has wide-ranging implications for the NFL.
"If the NFL wants to be known as an entity that is a reliable business partner, it has to understand that David Tepper's erratic and haphazard approach to this project does not reflect credibly upon the NFL," he said. "This has implications for projects in Tennessee, in Virginia, in New York and elsewhere across the country. Is the NFL an entity that keeps its word or not? That's really the question here."
The senator said he doesn't have any reason to believe that the project is not going to come to fruition, but that it's time for the Panthers to lay out how to get there.
"The ball's in David Tepper's court," Climer said. "Everybody else involved in this has kept their word. [They've] honored their commitments and it's time for David Tepper to do the same."
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