CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- A serious bidder interesting in purchasing the Carolina Panthers paid a visit to Charlotte this week, NBC Charlotte has confirmed.
Alan Kestenbaum, the CEO of Stelco Holdings Inc., stopped by the Bank of America stadium Wednesday in uptown.
Stelco Holdings is a steel company based in Ontario, Canada, but Kestenbaum is from the United States. His company, Bedrock Industries, recently bought Stelco Holdings.
NFL sources say this is the first such meeting in Charlotte between a potential owner and the Panthers since Jerry Richardson put the team up for sale in December.
NBC Charlotte sports reporter Kelsey Riggs confirmed the news at the NFL meetings in Orlando, FL.
Three serious bidders remain in the race to purchase the team from Richardson, who is still under league investigation for workplace misconduct.
They are:
- David Tepper: Hedge-fund billionaire and 5 percent owner of the Pittsburgh Steelers
- Ben Navarro: Charleston-based founder of Sherman Financial Group
- Alan Kestenbaum: CEO of a Canadian-based steel company
Patriots owner Robert Kraft said Monday that the league's owners were presented with an update on the team sale in Orlando, and expect a new owner to be fully vetted and voted on at the spring meetings in Atlanta this coming May.