Exclusive: What Frank Reich said after being fired by David Tepper as Panthers coach

Frank Reich, who was fired as the Carolina Panthers’ head coach Monday after the team’s 1-10 start, said Monday he had “no hard feelings” for team owner David Tepper and that he will remain a fan of the team.

In an exclusive interview with The Charlotte Observer, Reich said he was sorry he couldn’t get the Panthers headed in the right direction in the short time frame given.

“There’s a heart-pounding disappointment in not hitting the marks that we needed to hit to keep this going and try to get it turned around,” Reich said. “It hurts me for the guys, the team, the coaches and the fans.”

Reich also said of Tepper, who fired him in person Monday morning at Bank of America Stadium shortly before the news was announced: “I want to convey that I have nothing but positive thoughts about Mr. Tepper. On a personal level, I saw a side of him that I deeply respect and care about. But the NFL is a meritocracy. It’s not unconditional love. I understand from a professional standpoint Mr. Tepper is going to have certain standards that he expects to have met. I have no hard feelings, and my personal relationship with him was actually a real highlight of this short time.”

In January, Reich signed a four-year contract to coach the Panthers. He lasted less than ⅔ of a single season. He will be paid the full amount of the four-year contract, which was guaranteed.

Tepper wasn’t available to address the media Monday, but he has scheduled a press conference at 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday.

Reich was Carolina’s first starting quarterback, starting the first three games for the Panthers’ expansion team in 1995 and going 0-3 before he was replaced by rookie quarterback Kerry Collins. Reich had thought of this return to the Carolinas as a head coach as a chance to put a “magical” ending onto his 30-plus year career as an NFL player and coach.

“It was a great opportunity,” Reich said. “The way the doors opened up for it was amazing. But there’s not always a storybook ending…. I also take comfort and find peace and strength that there is a next chapter of my life. I do believe that. I do believe God ordains our steps.”

Reich, who turns 62 next week, wasn’t ready to definitely say that he was finished with coaching. But he did say: “This is probably the final chapter of my NFL journey.”

Reich was also fired in the middle of the 2022 season. In that one, Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay dismissed Reich after he started 3-5-1. Reich went 40-33-1 overall in Indianapolis in four-plus seasons as a head coach, winning one playoff game.

Reich said he and his wife, Linda, will likely stay in the North Carolina area but that those decisions haven’t been made yet. He also said he believed the Panthers’ team was destined for better things.

“I want to say that I believe there is a strength and character of leadership in that locker room that is at such a high level and is so strong,” Reich said, “that there’s no doubt in my mind that there is a foundation for all the success that this team is going to have.”

Chris Tabor, previously the special teams coordinator, will be the interim head coach to replace Reich over the final six games of the season.

“This ends in an extremely disappointing fashion,” Reich said. “But I will always be a Panthers fan.”