Carolina Panthers
(AP Photo/Maria Lysaker)
The Carolina Panthers fired a public relations official for social media posts mocking the killing of political commentator Charlie Kirk.
Kirk was killed at a Turning Point USA event at Utah Valley University on Wednesday afternoon. At the time of writing, a suspect was not in custody, but the FBI did release a photo of a person of interest.
In the immediate aftermath of the shooting, Panthers football communications coordinator Charlie Rock posted a video of Kirk on his Instagram story. The video was an old clip of Kirk expressing his belief that the Second Amendment is worth the gun deaths it may result in. Rock included the caption, “Why are y’all sad? Your man said it was worth it.” Rock also posted a screenshot of the Wu-Tang Clan song “Protest Ya Neck,” a clear reference to Kirk being shot in the neck.
On Thursday morning, the Panthers announced on social media that the organization did not “condone violence of any kind” before revealing the incident had already been discussed with Rock.
The views expressed by our employees are their own and do not represent those of the Carolina Panthers. We do not condone violence of any kind. We are taking this matter very seriously and have accordingly addressed it with the individual.
— Carolina Panthers (@Panthers) September 11, 2025
In a report from The Athletic published an hour later, it was revealed that Rock had been fired:
A source briefed on the situation said Thursday that Rock is no longer with the organization.
At the time of writing, Rock had not responded to The Athletic’s request for comment.