On a virtual press conference Wednesday, Carolina Panthers owner David Tepper took questions on an array of topics from reporters including WBT's Brett Jensen.
Tepper addressed whether Bank of America Stadium would be seeing renovations in the near future, or as many have speculated, if plans for a new stadium are in the works. Several people say a push to build a retractable dome onto the stadium may introduce a selling point for Charlotte to host a Super Bowl.
"With this stadium — with this COVID, it has pushed our whole decisions back," Tepper said. "Open air stadiums with beautiful weather seem a lot better to me today than they did last year."
He expressed disappointment that Bank of America Stadium will not host fans week one against the Las Vegas Raiders, as yet another setback from the COVID-19 pandemic.
"Listen, I miss the fans," Tepper said. "That's what it's about — it's about winning and the fans." According to the Panthers, "Tepper reiterated that the organization worked hard to craft a science-based plan that would allow the stadium to host a limited number of fans. But the organization will continue conversations with state officials, including those from the office of North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper."
Tepper remains optimistic fans will return to games soon. "I understand Cooper has a difficult job with this COVID from an optics standpoint and a science standpoint," Tepper said. "I'm hopeful we'll have continued conversations, the science will prevail, and we'll have fans."
Listen to the entire interview with Brett Jensen