NFL notebook: Tepper approved as owner of Panthers

Billionaire hedge fund manager David Tepper was approved as the Carolina Panthers' new owner at the NFL spring meeting, the team announced Tuesday. Tepper reached an agreement last week to purchase the Panthers from majority owner/founder Jerry Richardson, who is under investigation by the league for sexual and racial workplace misconduct. Richardson, 81, cast his vote in favor of Tepper, with Commissioner Roger Goodell later saying that the vote was unanimous. Tepper's purchase -- for an NFL record $2.275 billion -- is expected to be finalized in July, per multiple media outlets. "A kid who couldn't afford to go to an NFL game until well into his 20s is on the verge of getting NFL's approval to buy the Carolina Panthers. Not too shabby," Tepper told the graduating class at Carnegie Mellon University on Sunday when he delivered the commencement speech. The 60-year-old Tepper founded Appaloosa Management, a hedge fund company based in Miami Beach (Fla.) and is worth an estimated $11 billion, according to Forbes. --NFL owners voted to officially revamp kickoffs for the upcoming season. The changes will limit full-speed collisions, with adjustments made in conjunction with special teams coaches and members of the league's competition committee in New York earlier this month. With the new rules, players on the kicking team cannot line up more than one yard from the point of the kickoff. The wedge block has been eliminated. Also, until the ball is touched or hits the ground, no player on the receiving team may cross the restraining line (typically its 45) or initiate a block. When the ball hits the end zone, it's immediately ruled a touchback. --The Pittsburgh Steelers signed offensive lineman Chukwuma Okorafor, their second of two third-round picks. Financial terms on the four-year deal for the former offensive tackle from Western Michigan were not disclosed. The 6-foot-6, 320-pound Okorafor was the 92nd overall pick in the draft. He started 39 games at Western Michigan and was a first-team All-American in 2017. Okorafor is the fifth of the Steelers seven picks in this year's draft to sign. --New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick was in regular-season form while addressing reporters about the absence of superstar quarterback Tom Brady from organized team activities. Belichick provided a blunt answer when directly asked about the three-time NFL Most Valuable Player, who has participated in OTAs every year from 2011-17. "Yeah, I'm not going to talk about the people who aren't here. Guys that are here are improving, they're working hard and those are the guys we're going to focus on," said Belichick, who answered in similar fashion when the topic later turned toward tight end Rob Gronkowski, expected to arrive for OTAs at some point. "I'm focused on the guys that are here and those are the guys that we're working with in this OTAs process, Phase 3. Those are the guys who I'm concentrating on. That's who we're focused on," Belichick said. --Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Paul Worrilow suffered a torn ACL during the first day of OTAs, multiple media outlets reported. Worrilow was carted off the field after he collided with fellow linebacker Corey Nelson and running back Donnel Pumphrey. He is expected to miss the entire season. The NFL Network and ESPN each reported that Worrilow tore his ACL, and a source close to the player confirmed the injury to Philly.com. The injury occurred on the same day that Philadelphia released fellow linebacker Mychal Hendricks. --Defensive end Khalil Mack was a no-show for the first day of the Oakland Raiders' OTAs, multiple media outlets reported. Mack also did not attend the team's offseason conditioning program last month and his absence at the voluntary OTAs was expected. A three-time Pro Bowl selection, Mack is looking for a contract extension. He is set to make $13.846 million on the fifth-year option in 2018. Mack, the 2016 NFL Defensive Player of the Year, likely is seeking a deal that makes him the highest-paid defensive end in the NFL. --Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz took part in some individual drills as part of the organized team activities. Although Wentz has not been medically cleared to participate in team drills, he spent time throwing to Philadelphia's assistant coaches and ball boys, NBCSports Philadelphia reported. Wearing a brace to protect his surgically repaired left knee, Wentz dropped back quickly and fired off passes, showing no signs of the injury. Wentz admitted he was antsy to return to the field and said he was "confident" in his progress since he sustained a torn ACL and LCL against the Los Angeles Rams on Dec. 10 and missed the Eagles' run to Super Bowl LII. --A knee injury prevented Houston Texans linebacker Jadeveon Clowney from participating in organized team activities. Clowney still is rehabbing from arthroscopic knee surgery after the season, according to the Houston Chronicle. The procedure forced him to skip the Pro Bowl. The 6-foot-5, 270-pound Clowney received a second opinion on his knee from noted orthopedic surgeon Dr. James Andrews and the outlook was positive, the newspaper reported, citing league sources. The former No. 1 overall pick in the 2014 NFL Draft, Clowney and the Texans are trying to work out a long-term contract extension. --Hall of Famer Brian Dawkins is leaving the Philadelphia Eagles' front office but will remain with the team as a consultant. Dawkins, who was selected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Feb. 3, spent the last two seasons as a football operations executive with Philadelphia. He is planning to pursue other endeavors, including entrepreneurship and philanthropy, the team said in a statement. Dawkins was part of a star-studded Hall of Fame class this year that included wide receivers Randy Moss and Terrell Owens and linebackers Brian Urlacher and Ray Lewis. A member of the 2000s NFL All-Decade Team, Dawkins was selected in his second year of eligibility. "Brian Dawkins will always be a Philadelphia Eagle. We greatly appreciate all of Brian's contributions to our football operations department over the last two seasons and we are excited that he will continue to help us going forward," the Eagles said in a statement. --The New York Giants signed free-agent wide receiver Russell Shepard to a contract, the team announced. Terms of the deal were not disclosed by the team, but NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported that it's a one-year contract worth $1.3 million. The deal, per Rapoport, can be worth as much as $2 million with incentives. Shepard, who was released by the Carolina Panthers last week, had 17 receptions for 202 yards and one touchdown in 15 games last season after signing a three-year, $10 million deal. He had 47 catches for 634 yards and four scores in 72 career contests with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Panthers. --The Washington Redskins waived guard Arie Kouandjio with an injury designation, the team announced Tuesday. Kouandjio will miss the entire 2018 season after undergoing surgery to repair a partially torn quadriceps. To take Kouandjio's spot on the roster, Washington signed guard Isaiah Williams. If Kouandjio is not claimed on waivers, he will either land on the team's injured reserve list or work out an injury release settlement. Williams spent time on the practice squads of the Kansas City Chiefs and Indianapolis Colts last season. He was on Washington's practice squad for the entire 2016 season. --Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank did not appear to be outwardly concerned when asked about superstar wide receiver Julio Jones' absence from organized team activities. Jones, a five-time Pro Bowl wideout, has skipped the first two days of the voluntary practice in Flowery Branch (Ga.) this week as he reportedly seeks an upgrade to his contract. "It will be fine. It's just a process we have to go through," Blank said, via ESPN. Organized team activities are voluntary, however, veteran minicamp on June 12-14 is mandatory. Jones is set to make $10.5 million in 2018 in the third season of a five-year, $71.25 contract extension he signed in 2015. --Two-time Pro Bowl defensive end Carlos Dunlap was the lone member of the Bengals to be absent from organized team activities, the Cincinnati Enquirer reported. Dunlap, who forfeited a $300,000 workout bonus by skipping earlier workouts, is expected to make $7 million this season. He is in a contract year after signing a six-year, $40.6 million extension in 2013. The 29-year-old has routinely posted private drills in Florida on his social media accounts, but hasn't publicly revealed his reasoning to steer clear from the club during the voluntary period. --New York Jets wide receiver Terrelle Pryor has failed to take part in organized team activities while nursing an ankle injury, multiple media outlets reported. Pryor saw his lone season with the Washington Redskins end due to an ankle injury, prompting arthroscopic surgery in November. Per LoyalNYJetFans, Pryor sustained another ankle injury in the offseason. "WR Terrelle Pryor has suffered a fractured ankle, according to one of our sources," LoyalNYJetFans tweeted on Saturday. "There is no ligament damage and (Pryor) should be good to go for training camp." --The Cleveland Browns reached terms with two more draft picks, signing defensive lineman Chad Thomas and wide receiver Antonio Callaway, the team announced. The team has signed six of its nine draft picks. Thomas was selected in the third round out of Miami (Fla.) while Callaway went one round later. Callaway missed the entire 2017 season for allegedly using stolen credit card information to fund bookstore accounts. At Florida, he recorded 89 receptions for 1,399 yards and seven touchdowns while started 24 of 26 games for the Gators. The 6-foot-6, 275-pound Thomas was the 67th overall pick of Cleveland after registering 41 tackles and 5.5 sacks while starting all 13 games for the Hurricanes in 2017. --Head coach Doug Pederson told reporters that the Philadelphia Eagles will visit The White House next month to celebrate their Super Bowl LII championship victory over the New England Patriots. "We're excited to be going," Pederson told reporters. "At the same time, it's an individual decision (for the players)." Last week, White House deputy press secretary Lindsay Walters confirmed that the Eagles had been invited to attend a celebration at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. "President Trump looks forward to welcoming the Philadelphia Eagles to the White House on June 5 to celebrate their Super Bowl LII win," Walters said in a statement. --Kansas City Chiefs tight end Demetrius Harris was suspended one game for violating the league's substance abuse policy, the NFL announced. Harris will sit out the regular-season opener but will be eligible to participate in all offseason and preseason practices and games. He can return to Kansas City's active roster on Monday, Sept. 10. "We respect and support the league's decision in this matter and will have no further comment on the situation," the Chiefs said in a statement Tuesday. Harris was arrested in March 2017 for possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia. He pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge earlier this year. --Cornerback Marcus Peters may be one of the new offseason additions to the Los Angeles Rams, but that didn't stop him for weighing in on the absence of Aaron Donald from organized team activities. Multiple media outlets have reported that Donald, the reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year, is seeking a new contract with the Rams. Donald is set to make $6.89 million in the fifth-year option of his rookie contract. "Pay the man," Peters said, per NFL.com. "... I mean, you win the MVP, man. Come on now." Donald was the first Rams player to earn AP Defensive Player of the Year honors after he amassed 52 tackles, a team-high 11 sacks, a team-best five forced fumbles, 27 quarterback hits, one fumble recovery and two passes defensed in 14 games last season. --Quarterback Jameis Winston would like to help the Tampa Bay Buccaneers win a ring in the near future. This past weekend, Winston gave one away as he proposed marriage to his long-time girlfriend Breion Allen at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. For the record, Allen said yes. Winston referenced the "victory formation" in posting the news for public consumption on Sunday on both his Instagram and Twitter accounts.