NFL

Updated 4:55 p.m.
More than a dozen New Orleans Saints knelt during the National Anthem before Sunday's game at Bank of America stadium, but no Carolina Panthers joined them. Protests around the NFL this weekend came in response to President Trump's comment that players should be fired if they kneel during the anthem. Panthers Coach Ron Rivera said Monday the protests aren't disrespectful.

The Carolina Panthers are one win from the Super Bowl. They beat the Seattle Seahawks in uptown Charlotte on Sunday 31-24.

The Carolina Panthers are preparing to head to the frozen north this weekend to face the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday. The Panthers haven’t won a game since early October, but find themselves in an unusual position for their record: They still control their own playoff destiny.

Carolina Panthers defensive end Greg Hardy will not play again until his domestic violence case is resolved. The Panthers announced Wednesday that the team, the NFL and Hardy agreed he should take a voluntary leave with pay. In July, a judge found Hardy guilty of two misdemeanor counts of domestic violence. Hardy appealed and is waiting on a jury trial.    

A domestic violence complaint against Carolina Panthers star defensive end Greg Hardy characterizes him as a man in rage in an incident that led to him being arrested on misdemeanor charges of assault and communicating threats. But 911 tapes released by CMPD give conflicting accounts.

NASCAR, the NFL and other pro sports are combining high-tech data analytics with old-school public relations. They've built what are basically tech command centers where employees engage with fans and monitor trends on social media. The centers have been popping up over the past five years or so, and one of the newest ones is in Charlotte.

Nationally, the Panthers aren'’t one of the NFL'’s most popular teams. In fact, try 4th least popular, according to an ESPN Sports Poll taken last year--not too surprising, considering the team is only heading into its 18th season of existence.