SPARTANBURG
Rookie Vernon Butler has a deal with the veteran defensive tackles on the Panthers’ roster.
Butler, the Panthers’ first-round pick from Louisiana Tech, supplies the older guys with candy and salty snacks for their position meetings, carries their gear up the hill after practices and furnished the stereo in their corner of the locker room.
In return, the vets offer advice, tips and words of wisdom to a player whom Panthers coach Ron Rivera agrees is a work in progress.
Butler figures the rookie duties are a small price to pay for the on-field pointers he’s getting.