CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The Carolina Panthers announced Tuesday that Ron Rivera is no longer head coach of the team.

  • Perry Fewell will step in as interim head coach
  • Offensive coordinator Norv Turner will be a special assistant to the head coach
  • Team owner David Tepper says he believes it is the best decision to make at this time

Officials say secondary coach Perry Fewell will step in as interim head coach and offensive coordinator Norv Turner will be a special assistant to the head coach. Meanwhile, quarterbacks coach Scott Turner will serve as offensive coordinator, according to a release.

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Team owner David Tepper released a statement saying that as the organization looks toward the future, he believes it is the best decision to make at this time.

“I have a great deal of respect for Ron and the contributions he has made to this franchise and to this community. I wish him the best. I will immediately begin the search for the next head coach of the Carolina Panthers,” he said.

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Last Sunday, the Panthers lost to the Washington Redskins 29-21. While speaking about the team that is now 5-7, Rivera expressed at the podium that he was not concerned about his role. 

“I’m not worried about my future,” Rivera said after the game. “I’m worried about this football team. We have a game coming up on Sunday” at Atlanta.

There are four games left in the season. 

“Our vision is to find the right mix of old-school discipline and toughness with modern and innovative processes. We will consider a wide range of football executives to complement our current football staff. One change that we will implement is hiring an assistant general manager and vice president of football operations. We all must recognize that this is the first step in a process, but we are committed to building and maintaining a championship culture for our team and our fans,” Tepper said.

Rivera joined the organization as the fourth head coach in 2011. Throughout his nine seasons, Rivera lead the team to a Super Bowl appearance, an NFC Championship, and three NFC titles.

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