CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Carolina Panthers fans say they want to hear more about these allegations against Jerry Richardson before jumping to any conclusions.

Some of them are worried about the NFL stepping in and handling this investigation.     

These accusations were made public on Friday when the Panthers released a statement about an internal investigation.

In a statement, head coach Ron Rivera said "I have enormous respect for the man, but will wait for the results of the investigation before making any judgment."

With the playoffs still in sight for the Panthers, some fans hope this investigation doesn't distract the team.         

"I hope they can put that behind them and not focus on that because what happens on the field needs to stay there, and what happens behind the scenes is something completely different," longtime Panthers fan Sherrie Prevette said.

"Ever since the Ray Rice incident now if someone does anything they try to hit them as hard as they can so who knows what Jerry Richardson did but they're going to hit him pretty hard," Eric Clewis, another Panthers fan said.

Jerry Richardson attended today's game against the Green Bay Packers at Bank of America Stadium, but he has declined to comment through the team during the investigation.