Carolina Panthers owner Jerry Richardson has been accused of workplace misconduct, and the team reacted quickly by announcing an internal investigation into the matter.

The allegations were first reported by Jim Trotter of ESPN. His story does not specify what Richardson has been accused of doing. Ricahrdson, 81, is a former NFL player and the only owner in Panthers history.

The Panthers said the investigation will be led by the outside international law firm Quinn Emanuel Urquhart and Sullivan, LLP, and it will be overseen by limited Panthers owner and former White House Chief of Staff Erskine Bowles.

“The Carolina Panthers and Mr. Richardson take these allegations very seriously and are fully committed to a full investigation and taking appropriate steps to address and remediate any misconduct,” team spokesman Steven Drummond said in a statement posted to the team’s site. “The entire organization is fully committed to ensuring a safe, comfortable and diverse work environment where all individuals, regardless of sex, race, color, religion, gender, or sexual identity or orientation, are treated fairly and equally. We have work to do to achieve this goal, but we are going to meet it.”

The Panthers said they couldn’t comment on the specifics of the allegations because there is an ongoing legal review.

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Frank Schwab is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at shutdown.corner@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
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