When former Giants G.M. Ernie Accorsi was hired to help the Panthers find a new G.M., the first name that popped up in league circles as the prime candidate was Giants executive Dave Gettleman, given his relationship and friendship with Accorsi. And even though Gettleman wasn’t even interviewed for any of the other G.M. openings in the current hiring cycle, he won the dog-and-pony show in Charlotte.
Accorsi says that the decision to hire Gettleman wasn’t the latest example of NFL cronyism.
“I wasn’t going to sell anyone,” Accorsi tells Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer. “First of all, that wasn’t going to work with Jerry Richardson. Secondly, I have a lot of pride in my own integrity and I wasn’t going to do something like that.”
The five candidates for the job were Giants director of college scouting Marc Ross, Titans vice president of player personnel Lake Dawson, Montreal Alouettes G.M, Jim Popp, and Vikings assistant G.M. George Paton. Four were interviewed (it’s unclear who wasn’t), and Gettleman got the job not long after his session with owner Jerry Richardson concluded.
“He was positive about the first three. They all went well,” Accorsi said of Richardson. “But I really thought it clicked with Dave.”
Still, in an industry driven by relationships (family or otherwise), it’s no surprise that Accorsi’s and Gettleman’s mutual experiences and interactions allowed Gettleman to “click” with the guy with whom Accorsi has been working to turn the Panthers around.