Football is back.
2025 featured a Carolina Panthers season that was successful, despite a subpar record. The team captured the NFC South crown and made the playoffs for the first time in several years. This year, the Panthers will try to repeat some of that magic in a season that features several primetime games.
Elsewhere, plans for renovations continue at Bank of America Stadium. The hope is that this can help propel Charlotte into a city the NFL eyes for big-time events. Earlier this year, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said Charlotte is "built for" the NFL draft. Panthers owner David Tepper has said he has his sights set on even bigger events, such as a Super Bowl.
And a recent report in the British Medical Journal finds that a quarter of the NFL players who died between 2016 and 2021 had the brain disease CTE. Nearly 900 players who appeared in at least one NFL game were part of the study. We discuss the impact on the sport, what the reaction has been, and what, if anything, can be done.
GUESTS:
Kelli Bartik, sports anchor at WCCB-TV
Scott Fowler, sports columnist at the Charlotte Observer
Mike Solarte, Spectrum News sports director
