Carolina Panthers team up with Harris Teeter, other sponsors on kickoff campaign

One afternoon this week, the Carolina Panthers’ Miles Sanders put in some extra work. Not film study, though he may have done that later in the day.

At lunch time at Harris Teeter on South Boulevard, Sanders donned his game jersey and introduced himself to shoppers and workers alike before getting down to business: decorating cakes in the store bakery. Sanders made a brief detour in the floral department, where he assembled a bouquet under the expert tutelage of Sylvia, a department employee who made sure the NFL player followed proper cutting and arrangement techniques.

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Sanders was scheduled to make a 30-minute visit but became immersed in cake décor and, well, before he knew it, he was in overtime.

The running back’s dress rehearsal as a baker-florist was part of a series of visits by Panthers players to meet fans and employees at team sponsors’ stores while ramping up enthusiasm for the start of the regular season. Carolina plays the division rival Atlanta Falcons on the road on Sept. 10 before making their home debut Sept. 18 on ESPN’s “Monday Night Football” against another division rival, the New Orleans Saints.

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