I would say suspend or fine Carolina Panthers owner David Tepper for throwing a drink at a Jacksonville Jaguars fan Sunday, but this is the NFL we’re talking about. The ruling class is immune from the kind of punishment the league office insists is doled out to the players and coaches, providing that special blend of haughty, C-suite satisfaction and lopsided justice our society knows too well.
And really, it’s far more of a punishment for Tepper to have to continue running a franchise that he’s steered into the ground over these past few years via his frantic mismanagement. I hope he enjoys watching the Bears make the No. 1 pick in a few months.
I’m sure there are boot lickers out there who are saying that they wish their owners had that kind of fire, as if the classless hurling of a beverage from your suite like a medieval king is akin to some kind of passion. Sure, maybe it was an expression of Tepper’s desire to win or an embedded, biological reaction to a crude insult that we are all prone to from time to time. But given Tepper’s position of power, it can also be perceived as a visual representation of how the owners feel deep down about those who consume the product and are willing to levee some face-to-face criticism. A drink toss has a certain connotation. Let’s be honest about that.
