CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Since Jerry Richardson sold the Carolina Panthers to current owner David Tepper, many have wondered how long his statue would remain out front of Bank of America Stadium. On Wednesday, that question was answered.

The statue of the former owner and founder of the Carolina Panthers has been a hot topic since Richardson was fined $2.75 million by the NFL after an investigation into allegations of racial and sexual misconduct, which ultimately led to his departure from and sale of the organization to Tepper in 2018.

During a podcast that aired this week, Carolina Panthers Safety Tre Boston said Richardson also did not want players kneeling during the national anthem as a sign of protest in 2016 and 2017.

“I don’t want to judge him as a man overall and I don’t know him. I can say for the things that he did not allow us to do. We are now seeing that wasn’t the right thing,” Boston said during an interview on Wednesday.

Jim Gray, a spokesperson for Richardson, released the following statement Wednesday after the removal:

"Mr. Richardson has made no public comments about the Panthers or the NFL since the sale of the team and doesn't plan to do so now as a private citizen. He has worked to treat all people fairly in his business and personal lives and, like many other Americans, is troubled by recent events in Minneapolis, Charlotte, and around the country." 

In addition to Richardson's statue, one of the panthers standing beside him was also removed.

In a statement released on Twitter, the Panthers say they chose to remove the statue out of concern that "there may be attempts to take it down" and "in the interest of public safety." 

"I feel if it's a temporary move, I think it's probably good to protect the statue. If it's going to be permanent, it's probably sad because he did bring the team to Charlotte and he had a lot of good years with the Panthers,” Meilinger says.

Meilinger said if it’s removed permanently, he would have to hear about the reasoning behind it, before forming an opinion about it.

Carolina Panthers fan Debbie Jackson said it is best if the statue doesn’t return to Bank of America Stadium.

 "It doesn't make me feel good for him to be an owner of an establishment like this in this community where I live and work, so I feel like it's just time for it to go,” Jackson says. 

It is still unclear what will be done with the statue following its removal.