The Carolina Panthers and owner David Tepper are set to embark on the next step of their head-coaching search, with interviews coming up as soon as Monday. But the players have already made their preference loud and clear.
Following Sunday’s 10-7 victory over the New Orleans Saints, linebacker Shaq Thompson told reporters that he and his teammates must have their voices heard in this all-important process. And their voices, as they have for some time now, will continue to tell Tepper that Wilks is their guy.
“He’s a great owner,” Thompson said after the season finale. “I’m not gonna take nothing away from our owner David Tepper. He’s a great owner. I feel him on that. You guys keep asking the question, you guys know we want Wilks, right? And we’re gonna keep fighting for him. As an owner, I definitely understand. As employees, just come talk to me. If I have a business and people keep complaining, I rather you come to me directly. And let’s solve it and get it handled.”
Shaq Thompson says he and a couple other Panthers’ players need to talk to David Tepper to voice their support for Steve Wilks.
“You guys keep asking the question. We want Wilks.” pic.twitter.com/0BFoaWC0H6— Joe Person (@josephperson) January 8, 2023
This isn’t the first time a Panther has vocalized his support for Wilks. Heck, it isn’t even the first time Thompson has done it.
Defensive tackle Derrick Brown made the case for Wilks on Good Morning Football just a few weeks ago. Then, on Friday, center Bradley Bozeman gave a short and sweet message on Instagram.
Now we’ll see how much weight these endorsements, as well as the ones to come, will hold for Wilks moving forward.
