It turns out new Panthers kicker Harrison Butker was able to participate in the team’s rookie minicamp ... and attend commencement exercises at Georgia Tech.
Butker, drafted in the seventh round last week to compete with Graham Gano, thought he was going to miss Saturday’s graduation in Atlanta because of the two-day minicamp.
But Butker tweeted Friday night that the Panthers were allowing him to leave early for graduation. Butker’s agent said team officials surprised the kicker with the news and then drove him to the airport.
[FOCUS ON FOOTBALL: Rookie kicker went from club soccer, band to NFL]
In his tweet, Butker described the Panthers as a “first class organization that puts family and education first.