Dave Gettleman was hired as the Panthers general manager Wednesday after spending 15 seasons with the New York Giants. Following are comments from some of his former colleagues in New York.
President and chief executive officer John Mara:
I have mixed emotions about this. Dave certainly deserves to be a general manager, but I am very sorry to lose him. He has been instrumental to the success we have had and we are certainly going to miss him. He will do a great job for the Carolina Panthers.
Chairman and executive vice president Steve Tisch:
Dave has done a tremendous job in our personnel department. He has been a trusted, respected voice and contributed greatly to our success. He deserves this opportunity.
General manager Jerry Reese:
First and foremost, I'm very happy for Dave and his family. Dave is extremely qualified to be the general manager of the Panthers and will do a terrific job. I'm thankful for all of his hard work and friendship while here with the Giants.
The Panthers interviewed two of the top personnel executives in the NFL in Dave and (Giants director of college scouting) Marc Ross, and couldn't go wrong either way, in my humble opinion.
Head coach Tom Coughlin:
Dave knows what a football player is. He knows how to evaluate talent. He has done a great job of assessing our talent and the talent around the league and helping to identify those players who fill our needs. He is more than qualified to be Carolina's general manager. He is gifted and talented and has worked for years behind the scenes to make sure we are the best we can be. I'm extremely happy for Dave and his family.
