Accorsi helps Panthers arrive at Gettleman
Pertinent excerpts...
Shortly after Hurney's departure, Accorsi – the chairman of the NFL's General Manager Committee – arranged an initial meeting with Richardson, team president Danny Morrison and interim general manager Brandon Beane in Hershey, Penn.
So Beane was at the initial meeting where they talked about what they wanted to get in a permanent GM, unlikely if he were actually expected to be in the mix.
"I have a place in Hershey, so we had an all-day meeting," Accorsi said. "My position at that point was to find out exactly what they wanted. What kind of general manager did they want?
"They wanted a classic, football-oriented general manger, someone who had a background in personnel but also as an executive."
These are the criteria Accorsi was given. Having no background in personnel, Beane would have been excluded from the process immediately.
After the meeting, Accorsi began compiling a list of people that fit the description. The Panthers and Accorsi then discussed the candidates on the shortlist for about six weeks as the regular season wound down.
"We could not talk to anybody with an NFL club until the season was over," Accorsi said. "We discussed the candidates, and the minute they were eligible to talk to us we would start interviewing."
With more than 40 years of NFL experience at his disposal, Accorsi recommended several people he knew well. But he also made a concerted effort to research individuals who he had no prior experience with.
"There were several I knew well, several I worked with," Accorsi said. "I wanted to be completely fair to the people I didn't know and if the process nominated them through recommendations, then I wanted to make sure they were included.
Good info on the process. Clear that Accorsi did his due diligence and didn't just rely on old friends (even though that's who ultimately got the job).
"The list was narrowed and refined and it finally came to the four that we interviewed."
Accorsi flew to Charlotte on Monday, and the interview process began the next day.
That'd be Ross, Dawson, Popp and Gettleman. So no interview for Beane.
No idea where Pat Yasinskas - and later, Joe Person - got the info indicating that he was an option, but it seems pretty obvious based on how events played out that it wasn't accurate. It's possible Person got it from Yasinskas. Guess maybe Yasinskas got it from the same source that told him Dave Gettleman had never been a college scout.
