Report: Panthers In Violation Of League Rules Regarding Head Coach Search

Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports reports that the Carolina Panthers have been in violation of league rules related to their head coaching search.

According to Jones, Nicole Tepper, wife of Panthers owner David Tepper, has not completed the required inclusive hiring training necessary for her to take part in the interviews as of Tuesday night.

The league said it will act swiftly if anyone was not trained in the requirements needed to participate in interviews.

“The inclusive hiring training is a key element of our efforts to foster an equitable hiring process,” Jonathan Beane, NFL SVP and chief diversity and inclusion officer, said in a statement. “Any suggestion that this mandatory requirement was not met by applicable clubs will be addressed and corrected immediately.” 

Additionally, the league sent out a memo at the beginning of December outlying requirements for the inclusive hiring training process. This memo was sent out to chief executives, club presidents, head coaches and general managers.

“Club owner(s) and key decision-makers (those involved in the selection of the candidate) are required to participate in inclusive hiring training prior to starting the search,” the memo reads. “Please review the appendix for the list of hiring trainers approved by the League office. You have the option of selecting any of the inclusive hiring trainers on the list or selecting your own with League office approval.”

A team spokesperson issued the following statement to Jones regarding his report: “She was trained prior to participating in interviews.” 

However, multiple sources who spoke with Jones refuted their statement.

It remains to be seen what discipline, if any, the Panthers will face relative to their interview process.