CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- The decision to fire coach Matt Rhule on Monday came down to an inability to "get over the hump,'' according to Carolina Panthers owner David Tepper.
"It's winning. It's winning,'' Tepper said. "Winning more this year than you did last year. Looking like you're going to win more than you did last year. By that definition, I don't think we're over the hump.''
Rhule was fired less than six full months after Tepper said it could take five, maybe six years to build an organization capable of sustained excellence.
The decision came less than 24 hours after a 37-15 loss to the San Francisco 49ers and less than three years into the seven-year, $62 million contract Rhule was given in January 2020 to turn around the Panthers the way he did college programs at Temple and Baylor.