Team owner Jerry Richardson has told Carolina Panthers employees he won't cut their pay, lay them off or furlough them during the lockout, even if it lasts several months, the *Charlotte Observer* reported Wednesday, citing Panthers employees who asked not to be identified.
"He told us the only one who had to worry about losing any money this year was him," one Panthers employee told the newspaper.
Richardson promised his employees that they'd be taken care of even if the labor stoppage extended for months, telling them he had planned on the contingency well before this offseason.
Richardson's stance bucks a trend. About 100 New York Jets employees must take off one unpaid week per month, and on Wednesday the Buffalo Bills announced pay cuts that could be as much as 25 percent. At least seven other teams, according to the Observer, have announced pay cuts or unpaid furloughs.
However, the Panthers joined a group of teams that includes the New York Giants, Chicago Bears, Miami Dolphins, Minnesota Vikings and Detroit Lions that reportedly will not institute such measures.
