The Carolina Panthers announced Friday that coach John Fox will not return next season and that the contracts of his assistant coaches will not be renewed. "I told John today that I appreciate everything he has done for us over the last nine years, but as happens in this business, it is time for both sides to move in different directions," Panthers owner Jerry Richardson said in a statement. Fox's departure has been no secret, and his last full practice at the Panthers' complex was an odd scene with the Meineke Car Care Bowl about to kick off just a few steps away. Fox gathered the players around him shortly before noon, with a burst of laughter heard from players as they broke toward the locker room. "It's been a lot of great memories, a lot of fond memories, a lot of great relationships and something I'll cherish forever," Fox said. "Now [I'll] just embark on the next chapter." Fox was first denied a contract extension after the 2008 season. He entered the last year of his deal this fall after the Panthers began a youth movement that's left them an NFL-worst 2-13 and the league's worst offense, but they will have the No. 1 overall draft pick in April. Read more: http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=5975190
