CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) NFL spokesman Joe Lockhart says the league isn’t forcing Panthers owner Jerry Richardson to sell the team while he is under investigation for sexual and racial misconduct in the workplace.
Lockhart said during a conference call Thursday that ”there was no pressure from the league on Mr. Richardson” to sell his team. Lockhart says Richardson ”came to the conclusion over that weekend that putting his team up for sale was what he wanted to do. We found out about it shortly before the announcement came out.”
Lockhart says the NFL will hire an outside council to conduct the Richardson investigation, but a final decision has not been made on which firm.
He says the league didn’t know about the allegations against Richardson until Friday, the same day the Panthers put out a stunning news release first announcing its own investigation of Richardson’s alleged workplace misconduct.
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NFL says it is not pressuring Panthers owner to sell team
