With No Real Precedent, NFL Fines Tepper $300,000 for Drink-toss

Editor’s note: This story has been updated with statements from the NFL and David Tepper.

The NFL has fined Carolina Panthers owner David Tepper $300,000 after he was shown on video appearing to toss a drink toward a Jacksonville Jaguars fan on Sunday. Tepper was sitting in a suite at EverBank Stadium, where the Panthers lost 26-0 to the Jaguars. 

The NFL called Tepper’s conduct unacceptable. “All NFL personnel are expected to conduct themselves at all times in ways that respect our fans and favorably reflect on their team and the NFL,” the league said in a statement. Tepper, in a separate statement, said he regrets his behavior, accepts the punishment, and “should have let NFL stadium security handle any issues that arose.”

In 2009, late Tennessee Titans owner Bud Adams was fined $250,000 by the league for making an obscene gesture toward a fan. There was no precedent for a team owner throwing a drink at a fan, but some fans have been banned for life from NFL stadiums for similar acts.

Tough Tenure

The situation is the latest black eye for Tepper, the billionaire hedge fund manager who purchased the Panthers in 2018 but hasn’t seen a winning season during his tenure. Tepper fired first-year head coach Frank Reich after 11 games this season. Between the Panthers and Charlotte FC (which joined MLS in 2022, three years after Tepper was awarded the expansion franchise), Tepper has fired five head coaches. The Panthers will finish with the worst record in the NFL this season, but the Chicago Bears own their draft pick, which will be first overall, thanks to the trade for last year’s No. 1 pick, which Carolina used on QB Bryce Young.

Panthers players and coaches will have their standard media availability on Wednesday. Carolina plays its season finale on Sunday at home, where Tepper usually attends games, against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.