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In 2009, the NFL fined Titans owner Bud Adams $250,000 for firing off a double-barreled middle finger at a game. For Panthers owner David Tepper, $250,000 should be the starting point for determining the proper punishment for throwing a drink into the stands at Jacksonville on Sunday.
The NFL has said it is aware of the video. The Panthers declined comment. (Most notably, the Panthers did not deny that the video shows what it appears to show.)
Whatever the NFL does, it needs to act swiftly and decisively. Tepper didn’t just cross the line. He jumped over it with both feet.
Sure, he probably had been hearing all day long from the fans below his suite that the Panthers stink and that he’s not a very good owner, to say the least. That’s no excuse for what he did. Not even close.
Even if it was only water, it was in a cup from which he presumably was drinking. In post-COVID America, there’s something inherently unsettling about sending germs mixed with liquid indiscriminately into the eyes, noses, and/or mouths of anyone and everyone within the splash zone.
Technically, Tepper could be charged with assault and battery. He could be sued in civil court for assault and battery, too. Throwing a drink onto someone is no different than throwing a punch at them, in the eyes of the law.
The damages most likely wouldn’t be significant, even if the person could convince a jury that the liquid did indeed get in his or her eyes, nose, or mouth and created reasonable fear of being infected by whatever virus Tepper might have been carrying. Tepper’s wealth and disposition won’t help him, however, when it’s time to face the music from a cross-section of average Americans who resent the notion of the rich and powerful treating them like a garbage can.
Then there’s the potential for punitive damages. Again, Tepper’s wealth will work again him. What would it take to properly punish someone like Tepper and to deter other thin-skinned multi-billionaires from doing what he did?
What Tepper did…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/nfl-needs-swift-strong-statement-151215035.html
Author : ProFootball Talk on NBC Sports
Publish date : 2024-01-01 15:12:15
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