The fourth head coach in Carolina Panthers history has been fired. On Tuesday afternoon, owner David Tepper announced the team would be calling it quits with Ron Rivera, and secondary coach Perry Fewell will be taking his place as the team’s interim head coach.
“I have a great deal of respect for Ron and the contributions he has made to this franchise and to this community. I wish him the best. I will immediately begin the search for the next head coach of the Carolina Panthers,” said Tepper. “I believe this is the best decision for the long-term success of our team.”
The firing comes after an embarrassing loss to the Washington Redskins on Sunday that effectively knocked the Panthers out of playoff contention.
In his nine years as Carolina’s head coach, Rivera recorded a record of 76-63-1 in 140 games. He is the second longest tenured coach in Panthers history, four games behind John Fox, and will go down as the winniest coach in franchise history with a .546 win percentage. During his tenure he guided the Panthers to four playoff berths and one Super Bowl appearance.
Tepper hopes to return the Panthers to success by thoroughly reviewing the team’s entire football operations department.
“Our vision is to find the right mix of old-school discipline and toughness with modern and innovative processes. We will consider a wide range of football executives to complement our current football staff. One change that we will implement is hiring an assistant general manager and vice president of football operations. We all must recognize that this is the first step in a process, but we are committed to building and maintaining a championship culture for our team and our fans.”
Realistically, the Panthers will more than likely have to win all of their remaining games — against the Atlanta Falcons, Seattle Seahawks, Indianapolis Colts, and New Orleans Saints — for them to have a chance at a wildcard spot.
Perry Fewell and company will face NFC South rival Atlanta on Sunday.
