The weeks leading up to the start of training camp are usually the quietest of the offseason, but the Carolina Panthers made news Monday when they fired general manager Dave Gettleman, the man who had a lot to do with the team's 15-1 record in 2015 that ended with a loss in the Super Bowl.
But the NFL is, as they say, a bottom-line business, and for Panthers owner Jerry Richardson, Gettleman wasn't cutting it. The GM's surprising dismissal was met with glee by at least two former Panthers -- Steve Smith and DeAngelo Williams -- both of whom were released by Gettleman before continuing their careers with other teams.
Not every player who worked with Gettleman felt that way, however. In fact, offensive tackle Michael Oher, who has been in the league's concussion protocol since September, posted this message to Instagram on Tuesday:
Back in June, shortly after Oher posted -- and then deleted -- a photo to his Instagram account showing all the medication he took for his concussion, Gettleman told the team's website that his "primary interest is Michael's health."
The two last spoke in May, when Gettleman flew to Nashville to meet with Oher.
"We really had a great visit,'' Gettleman said at the time. "We talked for an hour, had lunch. It was a very comfortable conversation. We talked about a lot of things -- nothing about football. It was about him, how he was doing and the issues he was dealing with. It started and ended well. And after we met, Michael did follow up for a few days."
Gettleman reiterated: "Our No. 1 priority is a healthy Michael Oher. This is not about football, this is about Michael."