This is not the 1st time the Carolina Panthers have asked taxpayers for money.

In 2014, Gov. Nikki Haley vetoed money for the Panthers training camp because “it’s hard to imagine they need $75,000 from South Carolina’s taxpayers.”

Now Gov. Henry McMaster and a majority of lawmakers want taxpayers to offer an estimated $107.7 million over 15 years.

This includes a new $40 million interchange off Interstate 77 near Rock Hill.

The Charlotte-based Panthers franchise is owned by billionaire businessman David Tepper.

When lawmakers return this week for a special session, they could decide on a compromise for the Panthers, which has racked up 14 losing regular seasons.

The team has a total of 193 losses, 190 wins and one tie in its 24 regular seasons, and has a 9-8 record in post-season play.

In its cost-benefit analysis, the SC Department of Commerce projected that the 150 jobs the Panthers would bring across the NC border to York County would support another 5,715 “indirect” jobs.

This would result in an estimated impact of nearly $3.8 billion over 15 years.

Sen. Dick Harpootlian who represents Irmo took issue with Commerce’s projections, hiring a former Commerce economist who estimated the move would create 208 jobs instead of the 5,715 positions cited, according to The State newspaper.

It’s not the first economic analysis of the Panthers’ presence in the Palmetto State.

Allen Smith of the Spartanburg Area Chamber of Commerce said the Panthers’ 2014 summer camp at the college drew 49,000 visitors and resulted in a “$5.2 million economic impact.”

But whether the summer camps substantially benefited Spartanburg is questionable. We surveyed downtown business owners who said they saw increased traffic with little impact on sales.

Last week, during the last days of regular session, the Senate amended a House bill benefiting the Panthers – without taking a required roll-call vote on 2nd reading, as pointed out by the SC Policy Council.

Brundrett is the news editor of The Nerve ( www.thenerve.org). Contact him at 803-254-4411 or rick@thenerve.org .