The sale of the Carolina Panthers may drag on longer than previously expected.
Although it's likely the team's new owner will be identified before the NFL owners May 21-23 meeting in Atlanta, it's possible the transaction won't close until after that gathering, according to a source familiar with the process who was not authorized to speak publicly.
At the league meeting in March in Orlando, owners such as the New England Patriots' Robert Kraft had said the hope was to have a winner in place to vote on in May. The next owners meeting is not until October, but the source said it would not be unusual for a deal to be approved outside a regular meeting.