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Carolina Panthers' Ron Rivera 'surprised,' former players happy about Dave Gettleman firing

By Alex Butler
Former Carolina Panthers wide receiver Steve Smith had some harsh words regarding former general manager Dave Gettleman's Monday firing. File photo by Nell Redmond/UPI
1 of 4 | Former Carolina Panthers wide receiver Steve Smith had some harsh words regarding former general manager Dave Gettleman's Monday firing. File photo by Nell Redmond/UPI | License Photo

July 18 (UPI) -- Players of the past and present had plenty to say Monday about the firing of Carolina Panthers general manager Dave Gettleman.

Some of them were downright happy that the man lost his job.

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Team owner Jerry Richardson said in a statement that Gettleman was relieved of his duties after "much thought and a long evaluation" of the franchise's football operations.

Gettleman was hired in 2013. The Panthers won the NFC South three times and posted a 40-23-1 record in that timeframe, including a Super Bowl appearance just two seasons ago.

"I want to publicly say @Panthers is off my list of teams I won't play for due to the firing of that snake Dave Gettleman," free agent running back DeAngelo Williams said on Twitter Monday.

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Williams, 34, played nine seasons in Carolina before being released by Gettleman in 2015. He recently revealed that he would not play for the Panthers, Dallas Cowboys, Jacksonville Jaguars or the Cleveland Browns, but it appears he is amending that list.

Steve Smith Sr., who played the first 13 years of his career for the Panthers, was also vocal about the Gettleman move. He was released by the franchise in 2014.

"Its Okay! Dave I know how you feel..... #agent89 #stevesmithsr," Smith tweeted.

Former Panthers cornerback Josh Norman, who now plays for the Washington Redskins, simply posted emojis of a pair of looking eyes and a perplexed face.

A source told the Charlotte Observer that Gettleman's firing caught the staff by surprise, but one veteran player told the newspaper that it was "not a shock."

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Tackle Michael Oher took a different approach to the dismissal.

"While on the plane headed to see concussion specialist Mickey Collins I learned that GM Dave Gettleman has been dismissed," Oher said on Instagram. "This is news that I hated to hear...In this business you don't build personal relationships but I can honestly say I had one with Mr. G. He is the only person besides R.V. and Dr. Heyer who has constantly checked on my well being, condition and state of mind in the time that I've been suffering from my injury. Guy really cares about you as a person just not the player. Also he's always interested in how your family is as well. Hated to hear that news, but I know he'll be fine...and for the people who were happy and had something to do with it downstairs, Karma's a MF."

Panthers coach Ron Rivera told the Observer that he was "surprised" by the sudden firing.

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"The decision was made, and that's what we're going to do....The biggest thing is Dave did a great job for us," Rivera told the Observer. "He helped me to grow as a coach, he helped to put the final pieces of the puzzle together and he helped us get to the Super Bowl."

The Panthers are currently negotiating contracts with veterans Thomas Davis and Greg Olsen. Davis told NBC Charlotte that it is "unfair" to link those negotiations to the Gettleman firing.

"It's really sad and disappointing when you hear all the people that are saying that the reason Mr. Gettleman was released was because of me or Greg," Davis told NBC Charlotte. "I think that's an unfair statement. I think that's something that you guys are giving us too much credit; we're not that important in the grand scheme of things and intimately, Mr. Richardson made a decision and it's something that we're all going to live with."

Neither Smith, Williams, Norman, Olsen or Davis were drafted by Gettleman. The general manager was at the helm when Oher joined the Panthers in 2015.

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