The Carolina Panthers announced yesterday that the team relieved general manager Dave Gettleman of his duties.
The former New York Giants executive headed the Panthers front office since 2013. Last season, Carolina did not make the playoffs, after being a Super Bowl participant the year before. Judging from the team statement, the firing had little to do with wins or losses.
"“After much thought and a long evaluation of our football operations, I have decided to relieve Dave Gettleman of his duties as general manager,” Carolina Panthers owner/founder Jerry Richardson said. “I want to thank Dave for the role he played in our success over the past four seasons. While the timing of this decision is not ideal, a change is needed.”"
New York Giants
To be fair, plenty of general managers are hated by players. I can’t imagine that New York Giants general manager Jerry Reese is on Justin Tuck’s Christmas card list. Ditto for Osi Umenyiora.The timing of this move indicates something was triggered closer in the food chain to Richardson.
In terms of player acquisition, Gettleman drafted Kelvin Benjamin. At the time, I thought it was a mistake, but it appears to have been a solid pick. And unlike his former colleague, Jerry Reese, Gettleman was not adverse to making a trade or two.
Carolina Panthers Players React
Go figure.
Some former Carolina Panthers players rejoiced in Gettleman’s firing. One payer, DeAngelo Williams, said he would be happy to return to the club now.
I want to publicly say @Panthers is off my list of teams I won't play for due to the firing of that snake Dave gettleman! 😎😎👌🏽✊🏽
— DeAngelo Williams (@DeAngeloRB) July 17, 2017
Hey DeAngelo, you do realize Carolina drafted running back Christian McCaffrey in the first round?
The hyper-emotional Steve Smith and volatile Josh Norman also weighed in with tweets. Surely, Smith knows he had run his course with the Panthers, doesn’t he?
https://twitter.com/89SteveSmith/status/886992866479710208
On the other hand, Norman should not have been released. Even though the combustible cornerback plays the part of team pain in the rear end, he’s a top cover guy. Gettleman needed to get something in return for him at the very least.
Ironically, as this plays out, Richardson comes out on top. You see, Gettleman was hired to help clean up salary cap hell for the Panthers. Once that was accomplished, with Gettleman, not Richardson being the face of it, well, all bets were off.
With both tight end Greg Olsen and linebacker Thomas Davis bitching about new contracts, Jerry had seen enough.
Players 1 Executives 0
But there’s two sides to every story. The reality is that Richardson has no problem fleecing the taxpayers of Charlotte, while he plays Santa Claus to players and his alma mater (Wofford).
"According to Sports Illustrated, “Gettleman needs to manage the team with his head and not try to appeal to the owner’s emotions. He clearly grappled with extending a 34-year-old linebacker with a similar first-round linebacker waiting in the wings in Shaq Thompson, even if Davis is still playing at a Pro Bowl level. He signed Olsen to a three-year deal worth $22.5 million in 2015 that the tight end has absolutely outperformed, but it’s the deal to which everyone agreed.”"
Strike three for common sense.
New York Giants Beason Speaks
In another irony, oft-injured Jon Beason threw a few handfuls of dirt on Gettleman’s grave on Monday. The former New York Giants linebacker is now an analyst for CBS Sports, so gets to make judgements like this:
"“On all accounts, from what I’ve been told, there’s been a lot of disconnect. One, with the draft. There’s the disconnect with the way he treats the players. There’s disconnect between ownership. Knowing Big Cat, Jerry Richardson, the owner of the Panthers, he’s a guy who will not be dictated to at all. He’s very fair. I know that when it comes to being general manger, he wants those guys to just go do their thing. But when he has to step in, at some point, there has to be a level of respect there on both parties. And it can’t be, ‘Hey listen, I’m the GM. I’m running it this way. If you don’t like it, let me go’.”"
Let me just say fair is in the eye of the beholder. Beason pocketed $21 million in 2011, and he played in one game. He pocketed over $6 million in 2014, when played in four games. Beason’s two favorite people have to be Jerry Richardson and Jerry Reese.
And Beason still wants to say unflattering things about Gettleman. Just take the money and run, Jon.
It appears that the NFL has begun to mirror the NBA. Owners can save plenty of general manager salary money by just listening to players. Players have all the answers, just ask them. At the next major work stoppage, keep in mind that the players and owners never do the fans any favors. If you’re not suffering through multiple ticket price increases, you’re held hostage by ridiculous commercialism that permeates every sport.
Each day it becomes more apparent it’s the players’ and owners’ world, and fans are just living in it.