Interim Panthers GM On Paid Leave After Ex-Wife Requests, Then Withdraws Domestic Violence Complaint

The Carolina Panthers placed interim general manager Marty Hurney on paid leave today after his ex-wife filed—then withdrew—a request for a domestic violence protective order. The request was first reported by the Charlotte Observer, which added that the protective order request also was denied by a district court judge.

Jeanne Hurney told the Observer that “it’s been really emotional,” and said all further comment would have to come from her lawyer, Jonathan Feit. Feit confirmed to Deadspin that the request for a protective order had been withdrawn and “there is nothing for a court to hear.”

“There is nothing in the complaint that she filed that would have a remote impact on Mr. Hurney’s ability to manage a football team,” Feit told Deadspin. “The Hurneys have trust issues. They are divorced. That doesn’t seem newsworthy.”

One of Marty Hurney’s lawyers, Kathi Lucchesi, called the complaint a “complete fiction.”

The NFL has said it will investigate.

The Panthers currently are up for sale after Sports Illustrated reported that owner Jerry Richardson had a pattern of sexual harassment and casual racism, which was kept quiet via financial settlements. Hurney rejoined the Panthers in July after then-GM Dave Gettleman was fired. According to , Hurney interviewed last week to become the permanent GM.

Here is what Hurney wrote in her request, filed Friday:

The Observer reported that District Judge Ronald Chapman denied the request for an protective order; the report did not say why Chapman ruled that way.

Marty Hurney’s lawyers talked to the Observer, with one saying that “no reasonable person could have feared for her bodily harm.” That lawyer, Jim Warren, added that the complaint “would appear to have been done at a time to inflict the most damage to Marty.”