With imaginations running wild, can the Carolina Panthers focus on real life?

It’s been quite a week for the Carolina Panthers.

Their owner, Jerry Richardson, has been accused of sexual misconduct and making a racial slur, and he subsequently announced that he’ll sell the franchise after the season. And on Monday it was reported that he was stepping down from day-to-day operations.

Then, rap mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs went to social media to float the idea that he wants to buy the team. Not only that, but he’s already given an imaginary contract to Colin Kaepernick, who apparently will have the chance to challenge Cam Newton for the starting quarterback position (“It’s just competition, baby! It’s just competition,” he said on Instagram). Then, the Golden State Warriors’ Stephen Curry and Kaepernick himself joined the now-imaginary ownership group.

And there’s Thomas Davis, known as one of the good guys around the league, being accused of “head hunting” during a play in which he applied a helmet-to-helmet hit to the Packers’ Davante Adams during a block far away from an interception run back. Davis apologized via Twitter to Adams, who suffered a concussion, and the Panthers linebacker was assessed a two-game suspension from the league Monday.

Headlines galore.

Oh yeah, the Panthers also beat the Green Bay Packers, essentially eliminating them from the playoff race in what was supposed to be a triumphant return for Aaron Rodgers. With two games left Carolina is 10-4, currently in the postseason with a chance to win the NFC South.

Yet it’s the off-the-field headlines that are piling up. And that’s not helpful to a team in the midst of a playoff run, especially a squad that is two years removed from a Super Bowl appearance and aspiring for another shot at the Vince Lombardi Trophy.

All said, this will be a major test of the Panthers’ mettle.

This is a team that has been Jekyll and Hyde and follows a leader in Newton who seems to be bipolar when it comes to winning and losing.

Carolina was 15-1 two seasons ago before falling to 6-10 in 2016. Now sitting at 10-4, the Panthers have seemed to re-emerge as a force. However, their highs seem to be very high and lows seem to be very low.

Just look at Newton.

There’s no bigger smile in the NFL than when Newton signals first down or scores a touchdown only to parade around the field en route to giving the football to a fan in the stands. He’s quite the showman and it’s a lot of fun.

However, there’s another side to the star quarterback that reared its ugly head after the 2016 Super Bowl. Remember the guy who basically pouted during an interview session and walked out abruptly? Or how about the guy whose actions toward a female reporter earlier this year drew the ire of many?

Not so much fun.

Indeed, the Panthers and their leader have shown to be a fragile bunch (and that’s not even mentioning their ugly parting with a GM earlier this year).

Could trouble in the front office or image issues haunt this team down the stretch? Will an imaginary quarterback competition derail the fragile psyche of Cam?

Only time will tell.

But one thing’s for sure: We’ll see what the Carolina Panthers are made of before Richardson sells them.

On and off the field.

This story was originally published December 18, 2017 at 6:25 PM with the headline "With imaginations running wild, can the Carolina Panthers focus on real life?."