The Carolina Panthers recently announced the hiring of former Indianapolis Colts head coach Frank Reich as their new head coach, leaving Steve Wilks, the Panthers’ interim head coach for the remainder of last season, out of the position.
This has led to Skip Bayless believing the Carolina Panthers players should form a protest against the front office‘s decision.
The Panthers had a 6–6 record under Wilks and were just one game away from winning the NFC South.
With his lack of talent, many thought he deserved the chance to see what else he could do with the team. Bayless believes the Panthers players cannot be happy with the decision and that they should stand up and reject the front office’s choice.
He said, “At what point do the players not rise up, and stand up, and say, ‘no’ because this is a situation, forgive me if I’m going too far here, but this is like a boycott situation where I got to see them say, ‘no, we refuse. As a team, we have voted not to play next year.”
Skip Bayless called for the Carolina #Panthers players to boycott playing because Steve Wilks wasn’t hired to be their HC.
“Wouldn’t you like to see some sort of protest here, where you stand up as a football team [and say we aren’t going to play]”😱😱
pic.twitter.com/x0h5dnhpPN— MLFootball (@_MLFootball) January 27, 2023
In response to the news, Wilks sent out a statement saying, ” The sun rose this morning and by the grace of God so did I. I’m disappointed but not defeated.” Wilks also thanked the Panthers players, coaches, and staff for their hard work and dedication, and expressed his continued love for the Charlotte community.
— Steve Wilks (@ScoreonD) January 27, 2023
The Panthers’ decision to hire Reich and not keep Wilks has created a stir and many people, including Bayless, are questioning the Panthers’ decision.
It has been noted that Wilks is a co–plaintiff in a lawsuit against the NFL, which may be a sign of further protest to come.
This situation has many people questioning whether the Panthers’ players will take a stand and form a protest.
Wilks’ statement made it clear that he still loves the Panthers and the Charlotte community, and many people are wondering whether he will continue to be involved with the team, or if he will take a different route. Only time will tell.
