The Carolina Panthers fired an employee in their communications department following an insensitive social media post about the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, the Charlotte Observer reported Thursday.
Football communications coordinator Charlie Rock made the post on Instagram a few hours after Kirk, 31, was shot and killed during an appearance at Utah Valley University.
"Why are y'all sad? Your man said it was worth it ..." read the post, which included a photo of Kirk and a reference to the song "Protect Ya Neck" by the Wu-Tang Clan, per the report.
Panthers distanced from the employee
The Panthers released a statement Thursday on X/Twitter.
"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 newspaper's efforts to reach Rock were not immediately successful.