Heart surgery goes well for Panthers owner

CHARLOTTE, N.C., Feb. 2 (UPI) -- Jerry Richardson, the owner of the Carolina Panthers NFL franchise, is doing well following a heart transplant procedure, a league official said Monday.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell confirmed that Sunday's transplant operation at the Carolinas Medical Center was successful and Richardson, 72, is the owner of a new heart, The Charlotte (N.C.) Observer said.

"It brings new meaning to the word(s) 'Super Sunday,' when you see a guy you respect so much and admire so much -- Jerry Richardson -- and he's got a new heart this morning," Goodell said.

The Rock Hill (S.C.) Herald said Richardson, who underwent a 2002 quadruple bypass surgery, was placed on the national transplant list less than two months ago.

The NFL franchise owner was put up for a heart after a pacemaker-defibrillator installed in his body failed to regulate his heart's rhythm.

The Herald said, according to the American Heart Association, 87.4 percent of all male recipients of a new heart survive beyond their first year with the new organ.