The team will be known as Osos Monterrey.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. β Former Carolina Panthers players are making international moves.
Legendary Panthers lineman Ryan Kalil, along with former NBA All-Star Blake Griffin, purchased a majority stake in a football team based in Monterrey, Mexico. The duo were joined in the purchase by an ownership group made up of current and former NFL players.
The team was previously known as Fundidores de Monterrey. Under the new ownership group, the team will be known as Osos Monterrey.
Osos Monterrey competes in the Liga de FΓΊtbol Americano Profesional (LFA).Β
“Football isn’t just a gameβfor many of us, it’s defined who we are,” Kalil said in a press release. “This won’t be a passive investment; it’s an opportunity to help grow the game internationally alongside lifelong friends who bring unmatched experience and perspective from playing at the highest level of professional sports.”
Kalil says the new owners are hoping to tap into Mexico’s expanding interest in American football. The group estimates there are 30 million NFL fans in the country.
“Their arrival comes at a pivotal moment of growth for our league,” Alejandro Jaimes Trujillo, LFA commissioner, said. “We are confident that their involvement will not only strengthen their team but also propel the entire professional football league in Mexico forward.”
The ownership group joining Kalil and Griffin features NFL Hall of Famer Julius Peppers, former Panthers pro bowlers Greg Olsen and Jonathan Stewart, and former Panthers coach Ron Rivera. The current NFL players involved are Christian McCaffrey, Sam Darnold, and George Kittle.
Kalil and Griffin also own the production company Mortal Media, which will produce a documentary about Osos Monterrey.
The LFA was founded in 2016. The league has nine teams. Its most recent champion was the Caudillos de Chihuahua, which won the TazΓ³n Mexico VII in June 2024.
