Carolina Panthers wide receiver Adam Thielen says his team has the “worst facilities in the NFL” ahead of a planned $800 million overhaul of Bank of America Stadium.
“I think they’re behind a little bit as far as facilities,” Thielen told reporters on a Monday Zoom call, per Alex Zietlow of the Charlotte Observer. “We probably have the worst facilities in the NFL right now, and I don’t think there is anybody who would argue that. But at the end of the day, it doesn’t matter. You gotta go play football, and you gotta go win games.
“It’s nice to hear that, the commitment to us as players and the coaching staff, ‘Hey, you guys are putting the work in, and we’re going to commit and provide you guys with better facilities and really give you the resources to go out there and win.’ So it’s exciting.”
Thielen’s comments came hours after Panthers ownership unveiled stadium renovation plans.
The Charlotte Observer reported that the proposed plan would be funded by $150 million invested by Tepper Sports & Entertainment, the group that owners the Panthers, as well as $650 million in taxpayer funds.
The public contribution would come from existing hospitality and tourism taxes, according to the Panthers.
Thielen said he understood why the Panthers’ renovations had been delayed after the team’s plan to build a new practice facility in Rock Hill, a 30-minute drive from Charlotte, fell apart over financial disputes in 2022.
“I think they had plans in Rock Hill to build that facility, and then when that kind of fell through, they had to re-gameplan and figure it out,” Thielen said, per Zietlow. “So again, it’s exciting to hear that they’re going to invest in the players and the organization, the staff. And I think everyone’s just excited to see that follow through, and to get those resources to be at our best.”
The Charlotte City Council said it will discuss alloting the funds to the stadium renovation, as well as signing a 20-year non-relocation agreement with the Panthers and Charlotte FC, during a council meeting on June 24.
The proposed renovations would mark the stadium’s “first major renovation” since it opened in 1996, David Newton reported for ESPN.
Charlotte’s Zoning Committee is meanwhile slated to meet Tuesday to vote on rezoning 12 acres of land next to the stadium where the Panthers hope to expand practice facilities, Sydney Heiberger reported for Queen City News.
The proposed practice facility renovations include an indoor field house that can hold a full-size field and host up to 5,000 people, Heiberger reported. If approved, construction on the field house would begin after this summer’s training camp, according to Zietlow.
The Panthers already began expanding practice facilities this offseason as they prepared to host training camp in Charlotte for the first time in 28 years, per Logan Jennes and Christian Audesirk of Queen City News.
Thielen expressed his support of the ongoing expansion, saying that the Panthers’ new outdoor field is “probably the best I’ve ever been on,” per Zietlow.
If approved, the stadium renovations would take place between 2025 and 2029, per Newton, while the field house is projected to take “up to two years” to build, according to Heiberger.