Many felt Atlanta Falcons coach Dan Quinn would be the first NFC South head coach fired, but it's the Panthers Ron Rivera.

Panthers owner David Tepper did not use the word "fired", but rather "parted ways". Regardless of semantics, Rivera is out after 9+ seasons in Carolina.

The Panthers are 5-7, losers of 4 straight, and fell to the Washington Redskins in Charlotte on Sunday.

Secondary coach Perry Fewell will serve as interim coach.

Tepper released the following statement on his decision:

“I believe this is the best decision for the long-term success of our team. 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.

“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,” continued Tepper. “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 went 79-67-1 (record includes both regular and postseason games), winning the NFC in 2015, and 3 NFC South titles.

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