ESPN Insider (Beason: Peppers will likely be Panther, wasn't about money)

Beason: Peppers will likely be Panther, wasn't about money

Julius Peppers | Panthers
After all the Julius Peppers drama, it looks like he'll stay a Panther -- and it wasn't about the money, teammate Jon Beason wrote on his blog.

This all started when the Panthers put the franchise tag on Peppers, who expressed interest in going elsewhere. Peppers asked for a trade and rumors have flown ever since. But Beason said it looks as if "free agency has run its course this season."

Beason also addressed the animosity from Panther's fans toward Peppers. "It's tough for fans to understand the business part of football and how things work. You have to play long enough to earn the luxury of free agency and he should have the opportunity to move on if he wants to. He's a hometown guy who went to North Carolina and was drafted by the Panthers and he's had a good run here. I think with 99.5 percent of the players it would be about money, but JP is a special guy, very genuine, and I truly believe that for him it's not about the money."

• Mike Reiss, Boston Globe: "The Peppers story seemed to be more about the media creating something that wasn't there than a reality. I think we can bury this now."

 

Pretty sure peppers had already said (and the beat writers confirmed) that it wasn't about money and they had already offered him huge deals that he turned down.

 

I guess it is about wanting to play in a 3-4 or not wanting to stay in the home town area?

 

Or not being able to realize his potential. Etc.

Media created? No, this stuff came out of his mouth.

 

yeah, the media may have made a big deal out of it after the franchise tag came on, but Julius definitely started it. He then tried to force our hand, and it failed. He tried to limit our options and it ended up limiting his.


It's still funny how much more we've gotten about our 2009 Panthers team from our middle linebacker's blog than any other media source.

 

I'm sure things will pickup when they find this summer's 'player on the hot seat' 'unknown the staff is high that I can milk a few stories from because he is from bumfuck tech and spent last season on someone else's practice squad' and of course 'players talking up new coaches because, really, they won't fire them now'

 

I think Reiss was referring to the "peppers to the patriots" stuff specifically.

 

I heard an interview with Beason a few months ago and he said he WOULD have a problem with Pep in the locker room after saying he didn't wan't to be here.

 

Point taken on that.

 

Or they can ALL be adults and professionals and realize their goal is to get to the top. You don't do that with division in the lockerroom and they should know that. Maybe an early defensive players only gathering.