Carolina Panthers and Partners Send Designated Driver For the Season to the Super Bowl

Designated Driver Program Offers Responsible Alternative

CHARLOTTE, N.C., Jan. 23 -- "Responsibility Has Its Rewards" has been the message to Carolina fans as the Carolina Panthers, the NFL, and the TEAM Coalition joined forces to get the word out to fans about the importance of responsible drinking and always using a designated driver throughout the 2003 NFL season. And the message could not ring more true for Dan Flynn. He was selected as the designated driver for the season for the Panthers, and he is going to the Super Bowl.

TEAM Coalition -- an alliance of professional sports, entertainment facilities, concessionaires, the beer industry, broadcasters, governmental traffic safety experts, and others working together to promote responsible drinking and positive fan behavior at sports facilities -- coordinated an NFL- wide promotion in support of existing designated driver programs. TEAM and its partners are educating fans about the importance of drinking responsibly and always buckling up and designating a sober driver.

Several hundred Panthers fans participated in the designated driver program offered during home games at Ericsson Stadium. From those participants, one lucky designated driver for the season -- Dan Flynn -- was selected.

When the Panthers play in the Super Bowl on February 1, 2004 at Reliant Stadium, Mr. Flynn and his guest will be there to support them. His reward for acting responsibly and pledging to be a designated driver was two tickets to the game, airfare to Houston, and hotel accommodations for four nights.

"This promotion was an opportunity for the NFL to show support for the clubs' efforts to encourage responsible fan behavior. And for the fans, it is a great reminder that responsibility has its rewards," said Jill Pepper, Executive Director of the TEAM Coalition.

Roger Goodell, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer for the National Football League added, "The NFL has strongly supported the TEAM program for nearly 15 years. The positive contributions made by TEAM are far reaching."

The designated driver booth program offers fans a solution to the problem of how to get home safely after drinking at the game: the designated driver -- the person who chooses to stay sober, drives everyone else home safely and makes sure everyone buckles up. "This program shows how the NFL, TEAM, the concessionaires and breweries can all work together to implement successful awareness programs," added Pepper.

TEAM's membership includes Major League Baseball, National Basketball Association, National Football League, National Hockey League, ARAMARK, Beer Institute, Anheuser-Busch Companies, Miller Brewing Company, Coors Brewing Company, National Association of Broadcasters, International Association of Assembly Managers, and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

For more information on the TEAM Coalition please log on to www.teamcoalition.org.