OVER BUDGET.> A HOMEOWNER
SAYS HIS DOORBELL CAMERA
ALERTED HIM THAT HIS HOUSE WAS
ON FIRE.
YOU ARE WATCHING EYEWITNESS
NEWS AT 10.
TONIGHT, THE SEARCH IS UNDERWAY
FOR A NEW HEAD COACH FOR THE
CAROLINA PANTHERS.
GOOD EVENING, I'M ERICA BRYANT
.
AND I'M SCOTT WICKERSHAM, WE
CUT INTO PROGRAMMING THIS
AFTERNOON WITH THE NEWS THAT
RON RIVERA WAS FIRED. OUR
SPORTS DIRECTOR TALKED TO DAVID
TEPPER ABOUT WHAT LED TO HIS
DECISION.
IT WAS CLEAR WHEN WE MET
WITH DAVID TEPPER, THIS WAS NOT
AN EASY DECISION FOR HIM TO
MAKE, HE SAYS HE HAS GREAT
RESPECT FOR RON RIVERA BUT IN
THE END, IT WAS TIME TO PUT HIS
MARK ON THIS TEAM.
SINCE TAKING OVER THE
FRANCHISE, DAVID TEPPER HAS
OVERHAULED THE BUSINESS SIDE OF
THE ORGANIZATION, HIS FIRST
MAJOR MOVE ON THE FOOTBALL SIDE
OF THINGS WEIGHED ON HIM
HEAVILY. IT IS NOT EASY TO
HAVE THOSE KINDS OF
CONVERSATIONS WITH PEOPLE WE
HOLD IN SUCH HIGH REGARD.
ULTIMATELY, HE WAS
RESPECTING RON RIVERA, BUT
DAVID TEPPER WANTED TO GET THE
SAME HEAD START WHILE REMAINING
PROFESSIONAL WITH RON RIVERA.
I WAS NOT GOING TO GO OUT
THERE AND START LOOKING AND DO
THINGS BEHIND HIS BACK.
IN THE BUSINESS THAT MADE
DAVID TEPPER A BILLIONAIRE, HE
IS HIGHLY ANALYTICAL, SO HE
VALUES THAT IN A NEW HEAD
COACH, BUT HIS ROOTS IN
PITTSBURGH WILL ALSO DEMAND A
CERTAIN PERSONALITY TYPE.
THERE IS SOME DISCIPLINE THAT
IS KNOWN FOR THAT CITY AND THAT
TEAM, SO I'M NOT GOING TO
IGNORE THAT, THAT IS SOMETHING
I GREW UP WITH.
THE PITTSBURGH STEELERS,
PRIOR TO OWNING THE PANTHERS
ARE ALSO KNOWN FOR THEIR
STABILITY WITH JUST THREE HEAD
COACHES IN THE PAST DECADE, I
ASKED DAVID TEPPER ON THE
IMPORTANCE OF HITTING ON HIS
FIRST MAJOR FOOTBALL HIGHER.
IT IS IMPORTANT, I DON'T
WANT TO HAVE A REVOLVING DOOR
OF COACHES HERE. COMING UP,
MATT HARRIS WILL BE JOINED BY
THE PERSON OF THE ATHLETIC AS
HE HELPS TO BREAK DOWN THE NEXT
STEPS OF THIS ORGANIZATION.
BACK TO YOU.> CAM NEWTON
POSTED ON INSTAGRAM AFTER
GETTING THE NEWS SAYING THAT HE
WILL FOREVER BE GRATEFUL FOR
THE IMPACT YOU HAVE HAD ON MY
LIFE, TALKING TO COACH, RON
RIVERA.
MOST IMPORTANTLY, THANK YOU.>
ON TWITTER, GREG OLSEN SAID,
I'M SO GLAD TO HAVE SHARED THIS
NINE-YEAR JOURNEY TOGETHER WITH
YOU.> WE SPOKE TO COACH,
JENNIFER KING WHO MADE HISTORY
AS THE FIRST WOMAN TO EARN AN
COACHING INTERNSHIP WITH THE
PANTHERS.
KING TOLD US THAT WOULD HAVE
NEVER BEEN POSSIBLE WITHOUT RON
RIVERA.
HE WOULD ALSO VOLUNTEER HIS
TIME TO HELP FEMALE COACHES
EARN AN NFL OPPORTUNITY.
TODAY, KING SAID SHE KNEW THE
FIRING WAS POSSIBLE GIVEN HOW
THE SEASON WAS GOING BUT SHE IS
STILL DISAPPOINTED.
EVERYTHING THAT I HAVE DONE
SINCE MY FIRST OPPORTUNITY WITH
THE PANTHERS, I MEAN, IT IS
BECAUSE OF HIM, HE GAVE ME THAT
INITIAL OPPORTUNITY TO GET MY
FOOT IN THE DOOR, AND I DID A
GOOD JOB AND DO THE WORK BUT
ULTIMATELY, HE WAS THE ONE THAT
MADE THE DECISION. KING WENT
ON TO SAY THAT COACH RIVERA
WANTS TO CONTINUE COACHING, HE
WON'T BE OUT OF A JOB FOR LONG.
HIS RETREAT FROM THE SPOTLIGHT
NOW GIVES A BELMONT NATIVE A
CHANCE TO SHINE ON HIS OWN,
PANTHERS SECONDARY COACH, PERRY
IS STEPPING IN AS AN AUDITION,
HE IS A 1980 GRADUATE OF
SOUTHPOINT HIGH SCHOOL, HE HAS
22 YEARS OF COACHING EXPERIENCE
IN THE NFL INCLUDING THE SUPER
BOWL WIN AS DEFENSIVE
COORDINATOR OF THE NEW YORK
GIANTS.
THIS IS HIS FIRST SEASON WITH
THE CAROLINA PANTHERS AND WE DO
EXPECT TO HEAR FROM HIM
TOMORROW AFTERNOON.> TOMORROW
MORNING, RON RIVERA IS EXPECTED
TO ADDRESS THE MEDIA HIMSELF.
WE WILL BRING THAT TO YOU LIVE
ON EYEWITNESS NEWS STARTING AT
8 AM RIGHT HERE ON TV 64. WE