CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Carolina Panthers owner David Tepper went viral when he confronted staff members at a popular Charlotte bar that teased Tepper over the team's strategy in the NFL Draft.
Tepper stopped at Dilworth Neighborhood Grille ahead of Thursday's draft, the restaurant confirmed to WCNC Charlotte. It's unclear when Tepper first saw the sign, but it definitely got his attention.
The message board outside Dilworth Neighborhood Grille read, "Please let the coach & GM pick this year."
Surveillance video shared by the restaurant shows the moment Tepper went inside and talked to employees. Owner Matt Wohlfarth said Tepper was polite throughout the encounter.
"He wanted to know who did the sign," Wohlfarth said. "He seemed really nice and he was joking around. He shook hands with the manager and was giving him hell about his Eagles hat. You know, you don't really know someone until you actually know them, right?"
The Panthers entered Thursday's first round without a pick but made a trade with Buffalo for No. 32 overall. The team selected South Carolina wide receiver Xavier Legette. It's unclear if Tepper made that decision, but Wohlfarth hopes it's a sign that Carolina's polarizing owner trusts his staff.
"I'm a firm believer that it takes 10,000 hours of doing something to become an expert," he said. "You hire these guys who have done football all their life. Trust them. I don't know who to pick, just because you own the team doesn't mean you know, either."
Carolina traded away this year's draft pick in a trade package to acquire Bryce Young first overall last spring. The team followed it up with a miserable 2-15 campaign that saw head coach Frank Reich get fired after just 11 games. Fans and analysts have questioned Tepper's overbearing control of the team's operations. However, Tepper has stated he lets "the football people" make decisions about the team's direction.
That was the motivation behind the sign to begin with, according to Wohlfarth.
"We need to start winning," he explained. "He has been taking some advice, and he's got that group of guys to help him hire the coaches and general manager. That's great, and it seems like we've had an excellent offseason and the first night of the draft went really well. We just need to make sure that we don't keep repeating the same mistakes."
The Panthers head into the 2024 season with their third head coach in three years and a new general manager. Head coach Dave Canales and general manager Dan Morgan hope to push Young and the team in the right direction.