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Panthers top bidder speaks exclusively to Channel 9

PITTSBURGH — David Tepper was born and raised in Pittsburgh, and while his illustrious hedge fund career has taken him to New York City then to Miami Beach and now Charlotte, Tepper has always stayed true to his Steel City roots.

Tepper is the top bidder to buy the Carolina Panthers for $2.2 billion. The sale is pending until a vote by NFL owners this week in Atlanta.

On Sunday, Tepper delivered the commencement address at his alma mater Carnegie Mellon University, to 5,000 students and their families. Someone else special was also in the crowd -- his 86-year-old mother Roberta.

Tepper went out of his way from the stage to say hello to his mom and thank her for all she did for him.

"I grew up in a working-class neighborhood of Stanton Heights in the city of Pittsburgh," Tepper said.

Channel 9 visited the billionaire's humble childhood home and learned that just a few years ago Tepper dropped in to see the family that lives there now.

We spoke with 21-year-old Penn State student Marcus Motley, who was home visiting family before starting his summer job.

Tepper once slept in the bedroom Motely now calls his own.

"He was like, ‘Wow, this room really changed up since I've been here,’" Motley said.

The Motley family said Tepper was respectful and extremely kind when he returned to his childhood home. Tepper even made arrangements for the family to attend a Pittsburgh Steelers game as a gift.

"He was a nice guy through and through," Motley said.

Tepper attended a nearby inner-city high school and recounted his days on the football field behind the school when he was a youth.

"There was actually no grass on the field. It was dirt. (It had) rocks and they used to oil down the field to keep the dust from coming up -- true story," Tepper said.

Channel 9's Paul Boyd spoke one-on-one with Tepper after his commencement speech and asked what the honor meant for him.

"It was pretty fricking good," Tepper said. "It was fun. Listen, I love the place."

Tepper -- known for his sharp tongue in private -- followed up by saying it was "one hell, one heck of day" as he walked with other VIPs from the stage.

The CMU alum mentioned, during his speech, he made a deliberate effort not to curse during his address. Tepper later told Boyd, "I had to stop the swear words because they come out too naturally."

Boyd asked the presumptive Panthers owner if he had a message for fans in Charlotte. Tepper, who was still contractually prevented from discussing the bidding process responded, "Listen to the speech."

Tepper gives commencement speech

In this commencement speech Tepper said, "A kid who couldn't afford to go to an NFL game until well into his 20s is on the verge of getting the NFL's approval to buy the Carolina Panthers. Not too shabby."

Those were emotional words for Tepper who wiped away tears a moment later as he remembered the journey from what was once a tough neighborhood in Pittsburgh to the owner's box of the Panthers.

Channel 9’s Paul Boyd was in Pittsburgh for an exclusive one-on-one interview with Tepper.

“I’m was a kid who couldn't afford to go to an NFL game until well into his 20s,” Tepper said. “Now, I’m on the verge of getting the NFL’s approval to buy the Carolina Panthers."

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At Sunday's graduation, Tepper, the founder and president of global hedge fund Appaloosa Management, talked about growing up in Pittsburgh and eventually making his way to Carnegie Mellon where he attended graduate school.

Tepper’s 86-year-old mom, Roberta, was in the crowd, and he was brought to tears when he revealed he was abused by his father as a child.

“Despite these good things about my dad,  he had a bad side, too,” Tepper said. “He was physically abusive to me.”

Tepper made it clear that despite all of his success,  he was most proud that he broke that abusive pattern with his own children.

“I’m proud to say that, what I view as the greatest accomplishment of my life, I broke that cycle,” he said.

He told the graduates that it molded him into the man he is now.

Tepper received his MBA from Carnegie Mellon and was given another honorary degree Sunday.

He spoke exclusively to Boyd following the ceremony.

Paul Boyd: “Congratulations on the honor today.”

Tepper: “Thank you very much.”

Paul: “What did today mean to you?”

Tepper: “It was pretty fricking good. It was fun. Listen, I love the place, like I said. There’s nothing more to say it was just one, one heck of a day.”

Last week, Tepper finalized his deal to buy the team for $2.2 billion.

He needs three-fourths of the NFL’s owners to approve the deal.

They will vote at the owners meetings in Atlanta on Tuesday. Channel 9 will be in Atlanta to provide live coverage.

Tepper will also need to sell his share of the Steelers.

There are still some questions surrounding Tepper, including if he wants a new stadium or if he will renovate the existing Bank of America Stadium.

Cox Media Group

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