Panthers owner David Tepper pays visit to bar with sign teasing his NFL draft strategy
A Charlotte restaurant used its street-side marquee to send a message to Carolina Panthers owner David Tepper.
Then, hours before the start of the 2024 NFL draft, Tepper came into the restaurant to talk with employees about it.
Video footage obtained by WBTV in Charlotte shows Tepper walking into Dilworth Neighborhood Grille on Thursday and speaking with a pair of employees at the front door. Tepper is seen removing the hat of one of the employees, which appears to have a Philadelphia Eagles logo on it, then soon shaking the employee's hand and exiting.
The restaurant's sign read: "PLEASE LET THE COACH & GM PICK THIS YEAR."
Dilworth Neighborhood Grille owner Matt Wohlfarth told The Charlotte Observer that he had left for the day by the time Tepper stopped by but soon heard about it from his employees, who described the encounter to him as cordial.
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"(It's) really nice we have an owner who wants to win," Wohlfarth told the newspaper. "It’s just, you got to stay in your lane. This is not really an attack on anyone or anything. This is me expressing frustration because, believe it or not, I actually lose more of my income when the Panthers lose than he does."
Tepper, a global hedge fund manager, purchased the Panthers for $2.2 billion in May 2018. In the six seasons since, the team has undergone three coaching changes and recorded an overall record of 31-68, including a 2-15 record last year.
Wohlfarth told The Charlotte Observer that Thursday's visit was not Tepper's first to the restaurant, which is located about two miles from Carolina's practice facility. Earlier this year, Wohlfarth said, he changed the marquee to read: "MEDDLING OWNERS NEVER WIN. RUN FROM JERRY JONES."
"And (Tepper) was sort of pissed off about that one," Wohlfarth told the newspaper.
Tepper's franchise selected South Carolina wide receiver Xavier Legette with the No. 32 overall pick in this year's NFL draft.
Contact Tom Schad at [email protected] or on social media @Tom_Schad.