Panthers GM Marty Hurney fires longtime pro scouting director, sources say

Carolina Panthers interim GM Marty Hurney made his first front office move since rejoining the organization last week, firing longtime pro personnel director Mark Koncz, according to team sources.

Koncz, who had been the team’s pro scouting director since 2000, was promoted to director of player personnel by former GM Dave Gettleman in May.

But Hurney relieved Koncz of his duties on Monday, the day before players report to training camp at Wofford.

Koncz, 50, who played football at Kansas, had been with the Panthers since their inception.

He started as an intern in the ticket office in 1994 before moving to football operations the following year. He joined the pro scouting department in 1998 and became the director two years later.

Koncz is the latest in a long line of Panthers’ departures since the end of the season.

Former president Danny Morrison left in February for reasons that were never fully explained.

Assistant GM Brandon Beane was hired in May to become the GM in Buffalo, where he reunited with former Panthers defensive coordinator and first-year Bills coach Sean McDermott.

But the biggest bombshell came last week when owner Jerry Richardson fired Gettleman without offering an explanation. In Gettleman’s four seasons in Charlotte, the Panthers were 40-23-1, won three consecutive NFC South titles and made only the second Super Bowl appearance in team history.

This story was originally published July 24, 2017 at 4:42 PM with the headline "Panthers GM Marty Hurney fires longtime pro scouting director, sources say."