Panthers owner trolled by restaurant with 'hats off' sign after viral video

A Charlotte restaurant continued mocking David Tepper after the Carolina Panthers owner's surprise visit before the 2024 NFL Draft.

On Wednesday morning, a sign outside Dilworth Neighborhood Grille read, "Hats off to the new Panthers," a reference to Tepper's recent viral encounter with the restaurant's staff.

Last week, the same sign read, "Please let the coach & GM pick this year." Surveillance footage later caught Tepper stopping by the restaurant and removing a hat from a host's head while discussing the sign.

Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reported in November that some around the NFL believed Tepper made the decision to draft Bryce Young first overall in 2023 over C.J. Stroud. Tepper denied the rumors. Young struggled in Year 1, while Stroud was named Offensive Rookie of the Year.

This isn't the only recent off-field incident involving Tepper. The NFL fined him $300,000 in January after a video showed the 66-year-old seemingly throwing the contents of a cup into the crowd below his suite at the Jacksonville Jaguars' EverBank Stadium during a Week 17 game.

The Panthers haven't seen much success since Tepper bought the team in 2018. Carolina last won a playoff game in the 2015 campaign, and the club went 2-15 in 2023.

Panthers fans also aren't happy with some of the team's transactions over the past couple of years. The NFC South club traded franchise cornerstones D.J. Moore, Christian McCaffrey, and Brian Burns and didn't acquire any extra first-round picks in return other than swapping Round 1 choices with the Chicago Bears in 2023 to draft at No. 1.

Carolina initially didn't have a 2024 first-round selection but traded back into Round 1 to select receiver Xavier Legette 32nd overall. The club used Day 2 picks on running back Jonathon Brooks and linebacker Trevin Wallace.