CHARLOTTE — The transcript of Panthers legend Julius Peppers' speech Sunday, as he received his Ring of Excellence in honor of his induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Peppers was honored at halftime and had a few words for the home crowd.

"So thank you. I appreciate y'all. I'm going to get right into it.

"I want to thank the Hall of Fame, (Hall president) Jim Porter, and the whole staff for everything for this past year. It's been an incredible ride. Thank you, Adrian (Allison, the Hall's Chief Relationship Officer), for making the trip up and being here.

"I want to thank the Panthers, Dave and Nicole (Tepper), Kristi (Coleman), Dan (Morgan). Thank you guys for everything; y'all know I always got your back.

"I want to thank my family for coming up and making the trip and being here with me as always; thank y'all. I love y'all.

"It feels so good to be back at home and receive this Ring of Excellence right here in this stadium that I started my career in over two decades ago.

"So many memories and relationships were built in this stadium. So, I want to just take time to thank my former teammates, all of my coaches, the support staff, and the whole Panthers organization for supporting me and helping me succeed.

"Today, as I accept this ring, I want to send a special thank you to you guys, the fans. Being a fan can be tough at times. Trust me. I know. I'm a fan now, too, right?

"When things are going well, all is good, but when things aren't going so well, we start looking for somebody to put the blame on. So, I just want to encourage you guys to stand behind this team and support them until they get it right. Because your love, your loyalty, and support mean more to those players than you guys may realize.

"As I said before, the coaches are going to come and go; the players are going to come and go. But the thing that's gonna remain a constant is you guys, the fans. You guys are the reason that we do what we do. You guys are what makes football the greatest game that's ever been played.

"And you guys are the reason that this team worked so hard to come out and try to win these games.

"So keep that in mind as we go through some of the ups and downs, the ebbs and flows of a football season because our time is coming. You've just got to believe it.

"Once again, I want to thank all of my teammates. I love you guys. This is impossible without you guys' help. And I mean that. So thank y'all. Thanks to all of my coaches, the support staff, and the Panthers.

"Most of all, I want to thank you guys, Panther Nation. So look, let's stick together, let's support our team and let's Keep Pounding. Thank y'all. God bless."