Carolina Panthers Fire General Manager
On Monday, the Carolina Panthers announced that they have parted ways with general manager Dave Gettleman effective immediately.
The announcement came as a shock to NFL insiders because it occurred a few weeks before teams have to report for training camp. When the announcement was made, the team didn’t offer any reasons for Gettleman’s dismissal, leaving the door open for speculation.
Gettleman, who was hired by the Panthers in 2013, had a 40-23-1 record during his tenure with the team. He was also the architect of the 2015 Super Bowl team.
When the Panthers hired Gettleman, they were in salary cap hell and he was tasked with fixing the team’s cap issues. In his first season as general manager, Gettleman had to make a few tough choices that didn’t sit well with some players and fans.
Steve Smith, the Panthers’ franchise leader in receptions, reception yards, and receiving touchdowns, was one of the first casualties of Gettleman’s salary purge. Smith, who was a fan favorite wasn’t very happy about the team’s decision to get rid of him.
After Gettleman’s firing was announced, Smith took to Twitter to take a final parting shot. “It’s Okay! Dave I know how you feel….. #agent89,” Smith wrote on his social media page.
DeAngelo Williams was another veteran Gettleman let go during his time with the Panthers. Williams had recently stated on several occasions he would never play for the Panthers again because of how his exit was handled.
After Gettleman was fired, Williams wrote on Twitter that he has taken the Panthers off the list of teams he wouldn’t play for because Gettleman had been fired.
“I want to publicly say @Panthers is off my list of teams I won’t play for due to the firing of that snake Dave Gettleman!,” Williams said.
Not every player or former Carolina player was happy to hear about Gettleman’s dismissal. Oher took to Instagram to share his thoughts about his former general manager.
“Guy really cares about you as a person just not the player also he’s always interested in how your family is as well,” Oher wrote. “Hated to hear that news but I know he’ll be fine. And for the people downstairs who are happy and had something to do with it downstairs, Karma’s a MF!!”
The Panthers haven’t announced Gettleman’s replacement.