Carolina Panthers exec fired for mocking Charlie Kirk murder

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As if their insufferable owner, tranny cheerleader, terrible coaching, and lack of on-field talent weren’t enough.  The Carolina Panthers are now in the news for something, um, *different*:

CHARLOTTE: The Carolina Panthers have fired PR employee Charlie Rock following a social media post he made about the killing of Charlie Kirk.

Rock, a football communications coordinator with the Charlotte-based NFL team, is no longer with the organization, a source with knowledge of the matter confirmed to PRWeek.

Kirk, a conservative activist and cofounder of Turning Point USA, was fatally shot in the neck on Wednesday during an event at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah.  

According to The Charlotte Observer, Rock posted on his personal Instagram account Wednesday a photo of Kirk with the caption, “Why are yall sad? Your man said it was worth it…” The Instagram story also included a reference to the Wu-Tang Clan song, “Protect Ya Neck.”

Screenshots of the alleged post circulated on social media, calling attention to Rock’s ties to the football organization.  

The Panthers responded in a statement to X on Thursday morning, acknowledging Rock’s comments and emphasizing the organization does “not condone violence of any kind.” 

 

Rock, who joined the NFL team in 2024 as an intern, was promoted to his full-time, current title in June. His resume also includes roles as a football communications associate with the Chicago Bears and as a football PR intern with the Los Angeles Rams, according to his LinkedIn profile. 

Berk Communications is the PR partner of Tepper Sports & Entertainment, the parent company for the Carolina Panthers, Charlotte FC and Bank of America Stadium. 

MikeWorldWide acquired a majority stake in Berk in 2015 and fully acquired the affiliate agency in February. 

Rock is the latest employee to be fired over the last 24 hours for comments in relation to Kirk’s death. MSNBC analyst Matthew Dowd was reportedly fired from his role with the network after making on-air remarks during coverage of the shooting that MSNBC president Rebecca Kutler called “inappropriate, insensitive and unacceptable.”

A Middle Tennessee State University employee was also fired, “effective immediately,” after commenting about Kirk’s death on social media, the university’s president Sidney McPhee confirmed in a statement on Thursday.

Tennessee Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) called for the removal of associate dean of students Laura Sosh-Lightsy late Wednesday after screenshots of Sosh-Lightsy’s Facebook post, that said she had “ZERO sympathy” for Kirk, circulated on X. 

McPhee called the comments “inappropriate and callous” and said they were inconsistent with MTSU’s values and “have undermined the university’s credibility and reputation with our students, faculty, staff and the community at large.”

A manhunt is still underway for the shooter who killed Kirk. The FBI has offered a $100,000 reward for information leading to an arrest.