The Panthers announced they have parted ways with HC Ron Rivera on Tuesday.
“I believe this is the best decision for the long-term success of our team,” Panthers owner David Tepper said in a statement. “I have a great deal of respect for Ron and the contributions he has made to this franchise and to this community. I wish him the best. I will immediately begin the search for the next head coach of the Carolina Panthers.”
Carolina named secondary coach Perry Fewell interim head coach in the meantime, while OC Norv Turner will transition to assistant head coach and QB coach Scott Turner will take over as offensive coordinator.
The timing of this move is interesting given there are still four games remaining in the regular season. However, Tepper apparently saw all he needed to see after an embarrassing 29-21 loss to a two-win Washington team on Sunday.
Carolina will now have a jump-start on the interviewing process for their next coach. Tepper said the team would also make hires in their front office, including an assistant general manager and a vice president of football operations.
“We are going to take a comprehensive and thorough review of our football operation to make sure we are structured for long-term sustained success,” Tepper said. “Our vision is to find the right mix of old-school discipline and toughness with modern and innovative processes. We will consider a wide range of football executives to complement our current football staff. One change that we will implement is hiring an assistant general manager and vice president of football operations. We all must recognize that this is the first step in a process, but we are committed to building and maintaining a championship culture for our team and our fans.”
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