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For Panthers players and coaches, the Sports Illustrated story regarding accusations against owner Jerry Richardson came out so close to kickoff, they couldn’t know the depth of the charges when they were asked to talk about them.

But while most of them signaled the appropriate measure of concern about the seriousness of the topic, they also fell back on their own relationship with their boss.

Panthers quarterback Cam Newton said Richardson was someone he respected, but walked a fine line with his remarks, saying “I hope things don’t alter my thinking of him.”

“I don’t take these things lightly,” Newton said. “I’m just telling you my experiences, . . . He’s played a father-like role in my life.”

Likewise, coach Ron Rivera recounted the ways Richardson helped him when his house burned, and the support he offered when his brother died of cancer.

But because the allegations of workplace misconduct (which include former employees receiving settlements for sexual harassment and the use of a racial slur against a former scout) were printed less than an hour before they played, most players tried to not not speak on the topic at all.

Several key veterans, including Thomas Davis and Julius Peppers, didn’t talk to reporters at all after the game. One Panthers staffer said Peppers wanted to talk to Richardson before he left for the night.

Cornerback Captain Munnerlyn said he was surprised by the initial reports of an internal investigation Friday, because like the rest of the players, Richardson had a good relationship with him.

“I don’t know nothing that’s going on, so I don’t really want to speak on it,” Munnerlyn said when asked about the accusations of racial slurs. “I’ve never heard that. Mr. Richardson’s always been a nice man to me, . . . He’s always put a smile on my face.”

There are former employees there who do not share that opinion. And because of it, the league office is investigating.