BREAKING NEWS: Panthers fire HC Ron Rivera

The Carolina Panthers have released head coach Ron Rivera in a statement from team owner David Tepper.

“I believe this is the best decision for the long-term success of our team,” Tepper said. “I have a great deal of respect for Ron and the contributions he has made to this franchise and to this community. I wish him the best. I will immediately begin the search for the next head coach of the Carolina Panthers.”

For the remainder of the season, Secondary coach Perry Fewell has been named interim head coach. Offensive coordinator Norv Turner will move to special assistant to the head coach, and quarterbacks coach Scott Turner will serve as offensive coordinator.

“We are going to take a comprehensive and thorough review of our football operation to make sure we are structured for long-term sustained success,” Tepper said. “Our vision is to find the right mix of old-school discipline and toughness with modern and innovative processes. We will consider a wide range of football executives to complement our current football staff. One change that we will implement is hiring an assistant general manager and vice president of football operations. We all must recognize that this is the first step in a process, but we are committed to building and maintaining a championship culture for our team and our fans.”

Rivera leaves the franchise as the coach with the most wins in the team’s history. Rivera was named the fourth head coach in Carolina Panthers history in 2011. Rivera notched a 76-63-1 regular season record and a 3-4 postseason mark. Over 9 seasons, Rivera took the team to a Super Bowl appearance during the 2015 season, an NFC Championship and three NFC South titles. He is a two time NFL Coach of the Year.

The Panthers are currently 5-7 and basically out of the playoff race. They will face the Atlanta Falcons at 1pm on Sunday in Atlanta.