Jerry Jones distraught by Richardson selling Panthers

Jerry Richardson's decision to sell the Carolina Panthers - which came amid alarming accusations of workplace misconduct - left Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones borderline heartbroken.

"I'm very sad," Jones told reporters Sunday night, according to ESPN. "Jerry is one of the really, really, really outstanding men of football that I've ever met, and I really admire him. I know that he made it the old-fashioned way. He worked for it. He took what he made in a short time in pro football and turned it into a great business and then used that to get the Carolina franchise. So he's a great story."

The Panthers announced earlier Sunday that Richardson will sell the club in the offseason. The revelation came hours after a report from Sports Illustrated documented the 81-year-old's history of sexually harassing female employees and using racial overtones to establish a culture within the Panters organization.

Richardson reportedly paid at least four ex-employees for their silence regarding his misconduct, and in one incident allegedly directed a racial slur toward a team scout. The NFL was set to investigate the matter when Richardson announced he'll sell the team.

"I'm saddened by any of the stories or things that might have incited this at this time," Jones said. "He's a battler; he's a big man with a big heart. And by the way, that's somebody else's heart - he's had a heart transplant."

Richardson founded the Panthers in 1993. At the time, Jones had owned the Cowboys for four years.

"He'll be the first to tell you he's had a blessed life," Jones said. "I'm really sad. I want all of those kind of men we can have in the National Football League."