On Wednesday, September 10, Charlie Kirk, the co-founder of the conservative organization Turning Point USA, was shot and killed while speaking at an event at Utah Valley University. Kirk, a father and a husband, died at 31 years old. While many mourned the death of Kirk, some took the opportunity to mock his passing. According to Scott Fowler of The Charlotte Observer, the Carolina Panthers fired a member of the team's communications department, Charlie Rock, for sharing insensitive posts in reference to the murder of Kirk.
“BREAKING: The Carolina Panthers have fired Charlie Rock, of the team's communications department, for an insensitive post regarding the murder of Charlie Kirk, a source familiar with the organization's decision tells me,” Fowler wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
Ari Meirov of The 33rd Team shared images of Rock's posts on social media.
The #Panthers have fired a football communications staffer for IG story posts mocking the death of Charlie Kirk, per @scott_fowler.
The team also released a statement addressing the situation: pic.twitter.com/eeec3GXX4B
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) September 11, 2025
As Meirov mentioned in the above post, the Panthers released a statement on X.
“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,” the Panthers' statement reads.
The Panthers were defeated in Week 1 of the NFL season by the Jacksonville Jaguars, losing by a final score of 26-10. Carolina will play the Cardinals in Arizona in Week 2 of the '25 campaign. Kickoff is scheduled for 4:05 PM EST as the Panthers attempt to earn their first victory of the new season in the road matchup.
