For the first time since he brought them into existence, Carolina Panthers founder Jerry Richardson will watch as his team competes in an NFL season without him. For the first time since 1995, Richardson will not be involved in any NFL affairs after abdicating his place as one of the league's owners, selling his team to David Tepper during the offseason after 23 years as the only owner the Panthers have ever known. Given the circumstances that led to Richardson opting to step down as owner of the Panthers, testaments to Richardson's legacy featuring his namesake and likeness have come under fire from those in the Carolinas. However, Richardson will continue to be recognized in one part of the Charlotte area despite public pressure to scrub his name from establishments that he has helped support.

According to a report by Cassie Cope of the Charlotte Observer, the Board of Trustees at the University of North Carolina-Charlotte have agreed to honor their commitment to name their football stadium, Jerry Richardson Stadium, after the former NFL player and Carolina Panthers founder. The agreement between UNC-Charlotte and Richardson, which was originally reached in 2013, is worth $10 million.

UNC-Charlotte's decision comes in spite of pressure from certain elements of the public to remove anything relating to Richardson from public sight in the fallout from accusations that Richardson had acted inappropriately in the Panthers' workplace in both a sexual and racial manner. However, Richardson has managed to avoid being memory-holed to date. Despite pressure to tear down Richardson's statue in front of Bank of America Stadium, David Tepper stated that Richardson's statue will remain, as such was made a non-negotiable part of the terms of the Panthers' sale. In addition, Richardson also has a statue at his alma mater of Wofford College, where Richardson played college football as a team captain before playing two NFL seasons with the Baltimore Colts.

Given the ongoing nature of the #MeToo movement which led to the sullying of Richardson's name and character, it remains to be seen exactly how long it will take for Richardson's legacy as the father of the Carolina Panthers and a pillar of the community in the Carolinas. It should be noted that Richardson is hardly the first NFL owner to ever be involved in a scandal that led to their resignation.

In 1998, San Francisco 49ers owner Eddie DeBartolo Jr. was implicated in a political corruption scandal in Louisiana, where he pleaded guilty to failing to report a felony (Louisiana governor Edwin Edwards had demanded $400,000 from DeBartolo in order to gain a river boat casino license). DeBartolo was subsequently disciplined by the NFL, but his legacy has managed to survive, and DeBartolo was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2016 in spite of the scandal. He remains revered around the league today - In spite of the fact that DeBartolo's transgressions, de jure, were much more serious than what Richardson was accused of.

Ultimately, Jerry Richardson has done rather well for himself in the past several months. Richardson earned a cool $2.3 billion when he sold the Panthers, and the most prominent testimonies to his legacy still remain.