Nick Kelly is stepping down as CEO of Tepper Sports & Entertainment, the parent company of the NFL Carolina Panthers and Major League Soccer's Charlotte FC.

Nick Kelly, an integral contributor to Charlotte FC’s launch and CEO of Tepper Sports & Entertainment, is moving on.

Kelly, who was promoted to TSE’s top executive position in February, led the way on several initiatives for the NFL’s Carolina Panthers as well as Charlotte FC, was hailed for his achievements over a two-year stretch with the organization.

“Nick played an integral role in laying the groundwork for Charlotte FC's inaugural season, and was a key contributor to Tepper Sports & Entertainment,” owner David Tepper said in a statement posted on the Panthers’ website. “We appreciate his efforts and wish him and his family the best as they move forward.”

Kelly, the statement said, “will assist with facilitating an orderly transition for the organization.”

“I want to thank Mr. and [Nicole] Tepper, as well as the entire Tepper Sports & Entertainment organization, for giving me the opportunity to build a club, culture, and fanbase from the ground up at Charlotte FC,” Kelly said in a statement. “It has been a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and for that, I will be forever grateful and a fan.”

Kelly was named team Charlotte FC president in December 2020. He originally reported to Tom Glick, who was TSE president, while working with Charlotte FC sporting director Zoran Krneta. Kelly oversaw the business side of soccer, while Krneta was responsible for the on-pitch product. Charlotte FC was schedule to debut in 2021, but it was delayed to this year.

Nonetheless, Kelly embarked on putting together a competitive organization.

Kelly replaced Glick, who was the architect of Charlotte FC’s launch as well as MLS’s New York City FC, as Tepper Sports’ top executive.

“The first 45 days are a priority for us,” Kelly told The Post in February 2021. “It’s getting a one-year plan in place. When you think about the middle of February, we’ll be one year out from kickoff. We’ll have one year to get it right.”

In addition to getting the team onto the field, Kelly reached a major milestone when Charlotte FC broke the MLS single-game attendance record in the franchise’s home debut against Los Angeles Galaxy. Another goal met was 20,000 season tickets sold and Kelly was confident Charlotte could average more than 30,000 in attendance and earn a postseason berth.

“Our targets haven’t changed,” he said in February. “We’re still pretty bullish about it, especially now that we see the team on the field. We still want to have the largest match, we still want to average 30,000 [attendance per game] and we still want to host a playoff match, so everything we’re doing right now is still to push towards those things.”

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