The Carolina Panthers football team has fired a public relations employee over his comments about Charlie Kirk.

Kirk was shot and killed on Wednesday during a campus tour stop in Utah. Videos showed Kirk was shot in the neck in front of a large crowd of college students and attendees.

Despite an outpouring of positive support after the horrific killing, many people have taken the opportunity to criticize or insult Kirk online, including a Panthers employee.

'We do not condone violence of any kind.'

As reported by the Athletic, a communications coordinator named Charlie Rock was fired by the Panthers for his online commentary about the deceased conservative activist.

Rock apparently joined the organization as an intern in 2024 and was promoted to his now-former position.

Social media posts circulating online showed screenshots from Rock's Instagram account (which is now inactive), on which he posted a video of Kirk at a speaking event with the caption, "Why are yall sad? Your man said it was worth it …" referring to Kirk's death.

Rock's next post was the song "Protect Ya Neck" by Wu-Tang Clan, which could easily be interpreted as referring to Kirk being shot in the neck.

— (@)

The Athletic was able to confirm that the employee is no longer with the Panthers, but Rock did not respond to the outlet's request for comment.

The Panthers organization, on the other hand, released a general statement on Thursday morning without naming Rock.

"The views expressed by our employees are their own and do not represent those of the Carolina Panthers," the team's X post read. "We do not condone violence of any kind. We are taking this matter very seriously and have accordingly addressed it with the individual."

Charlie Kirk at Politicon 2018 in Los Angeles, California. Photo by Phillip Faraone/Getty Images for Politicon

"Pro Football Talk's" Mike Florio shared the story and wrote, "In a civil society, we have disagreements. Those disagreements, however sharp and strong they might be, should never devolve into violence."

Florio added, "There is no room in the American experiment for political violence. For any type of violence. Violence should be condemned in all forms, by everyone."

The Panthers' next game is against the Arizona Cardinals. The teams play Sunday at 4:05 p.m. ET at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona.

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New York Yankees waste no time before honoring Charlie Kirk

The New York Yankees honored Charlie Kirk before their game on Wednesday night.

The 31-year-old political commentator was murdered at a university event in Utah, leaving behind his wife, Erika, and two children.

'I love the Yankees more than ever right now for this.'

Minutes before their game against the Detroit Tigers, the Yankees' scoreboard lit up with Kirk's face and the message, "Remembering Charlie Kirk."

Just before 7 p.m. local time — five minutes before their usual start time — the Yankees also posted a message on their X page with a picture of the stadium's massive screen that showed the patriotic American.

"Before tonight's game we held a moment of silence in memoriam of Charlie Kirk," the message read. "Kirk founded the youth activist group 'Turning Point USA' and had become a fixture on college campuses. Charlie Kirk, a husband and father of two children, was 31 years old."

Fans were overwhelmingly pleased with the somewhat surprising gesture by the Yankees organization.

"I love the Yankees more than ever right now for this," one fan wrote on X.

"Massive respect for doing this," another fan said in response to the Yankees' post.

Another added, "Thank you. Charlie Kirk is a national hero."

Thank you. Charlie Kirk is a national hero.
— Danielle☦️ (@DanielleNorgedm) September 10, 2025

Gary Sheffield Jr., who hosts a popular Yankees podcast, told Blaze News he was shocked at the team's gesture but that he agreed with it "100%"

Sheffield continued, "But where are the other 29 teams?" referring to the fact that only the Yankees appeared to share condolences for Kirk.

"The Los Angeles Dodgers want to be outspoken when it fits their niche community. How about a voice now in the face of hate and violence for the rest of the country?" the broadcaster added.

Sheffield cited different activist events previously held at Dodger Stadium, which included an anti-Catholic sex group for a Pride night celebration.

The baseball analyst shared a similar sentiment on X, where he stated, "Something is seriously wrong with the political discourse in this country."

The Yankees are set to host President Donald Trump on Thursday to honor the victims and heroes of September 11, 2001. In advance of Trump's visit, the club announced tightened security measures.

The Yankees lost 11-1 to the Tigers on Wednesday; the Tigers are also the opponent for Thursday's game.

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NFL icon sends handwritten letter to Pope Leo XIV — here's what he asked for

An NFL legend wrote a letter to Pope Leo XIV, hoping his holiness would grant him one request.

When Robert F. Prevost became pope in May, a hard-fought territorial battle was waged in the sports world over who could claim the Catholic leader as their own. In the end, it was determined that the papacy's fandom resides in baseball with the Chicago White Sox (not the Chicago Cubs).

This led to a tribute to the pope at the White Sox's Rate Field, followed by Mass with Leo XIV via video at the stadium in June.

All of this fanfare encouraged one retired athlete to think that maybe the pope is a football fan, too.

'It's you. It's Tiger Woods. It's Bradley Cooper. It's President Bush.'

Hall of Fame quarterback and two-time Super Bowl winner Peyton Manning revealed on Monday that he sent a handwritten note to both Pope Leo XIV and his executive assistant.

"Look at these two handwritten letters I wrote," Manning told his brother Eli on ESPN 2's "ManningCast."

"Handwritten. I made the effort," Manning comically continued, before explaining what his letter was all about.

He then looked into the camera and said, "These are handwritten letters, and if you're watching, your holiness, this is an open invitation."

Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images

Manning was, hilariously, inviting Pope Leo XIV to come onto the ESPN 2 show where the brothers are joined by guests to swap football stories and analyze an NFL game from Monday Night Football.

"Come on the show anytime," Manning reiterated.

The former University of Tennessee star then disclosed that the pope was on a shortlist of his viewers' most-desired guests.

"It's you. It's Tiger Woods. It's Bradley Cooper. It's President Bush. It's Larry David," he rattled off. "Y'all are our most-wanted on that list for the 'ManningCast.' Come anytime."

"We'd love to have you, your holiness," Manning cordially concluded.

Photo by Helen H. Richardson/MediaNews Group/The Denver Post via Getty Images

Always one to self-deprecate, Manning said he failed in getting the pope on the show, "Kinda like I failed to recruit Randy Moss to Tennessee."

"I couldn't close the pope, but I made the effort Eli," he told his brother. "That's the kind of effort we make here at ESPN 2. I tried my hardest."

The same episode included iconic comedian and actor Bill Murray, though, along with Hall of Fame receiver Randy Moss and current Philadelphia Eagles star Saquon Barkley.

Maybe the "ManningCast" is not yet pope-worthy, but it is certainly delivering big stars to the program.

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Imane Khelif appeals boxing ban with ridiculous request for gender testing

Disgraced Olympic boxer Imane Khelif has submitted an appeal to an arbitration court about being banned from women's boxing.

Khelif won gold in the women's 66kg competition at the Paris Olympics in 2024 despite complaints that he is, in fact, a man. Following a dominating performance at the games in which he did not lose a single round, three different reports surfaced that claimed Khelif is a man. A fourth report revealed a medical document that showed the Algerian has XY chromosomes, seemingly putting the story to rest.

'She doesn't box anymore. After what happened at the Olympics.'

Even Khelif's former coach said the boxer had left his gym and the sport and had not been seen training in months following the leak of the medical report.

Now, the Court of Arbitration for Sport says Khelif is requesting to compete again.

Khelif has filed an appeal against World Boxing regarding a decision that prohibits him from competing in upcoming events without a preliminary genetic test, the CAS said in press release.

In June, Khelif was set to defend a women's title at the Eindhoven Box Cup in the Netherlands, which is run by World Boxing. But Khelif did not compete in the event when the WBO announced it would begin implementing mandatory sex testing.

Khelif was seeking to overturn that decision, which stated that he is "not allowed to participate ... in any World Boxing event until she had undergone genetic sex testing."

At the same time, the appeals organization noted that Khelif made another brazen request.

Photo by Richard Pelham/Getty Images

Khelif's submission also reportedly requested that the CAS declare him "eligible to participate in the 2025 World Boxing Championships from 4 to 14 September," without having to submit to a genetic test.

Khelif hoped that the submission of the appeal would result in an injunction on the ban, which would allow him to compete against women in the interim before an official decision on the appeal was made. However, CAS shot that down.

"CAS dismissed a request to suspend the execution of the decision by World Boxing until the case is heard," the organization wrote.

Khelif's side and the CAS will move forward with an exchange of written submissions and subsequently schedule a formal hearing.

Photo by Pierre Suu/WireImage

Khelif had been thought to be retiring from boxing after his former manager, Nasser Yesfah, claimed "she has stopped everything."

"She hasn't even started again. She doesn't box anymore. After what happened at the Olympics."

He added, "In any case, she will be subjected to the same type of test if she becomes a professional."

As reported by 3 Wire Sports, Khelif's alleged medical condition is formally described as 5-alpha reductase type-2 deficiency. He reportedly has XY chromosomes, internal testes, and a "micropenis."

U.S. government website Medline Plus explains that those with such a condition are genetically male but can be mistaken to have female genitalia at birth.

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Olympic legend auctions off gold medals and leaves USA for good: 'I needed the money'

A Team USA Olympic legend went against the advice of "experts" and sold his coveted gold medals at auction.

In a revealing Facebook post, the former athlete said he used the money to move abroad, selling a house in California, too. Apparently in financial strain, the Olympic hero explained that after the sales, he picked up his life and moved to Central America.

'I told the truth; I needed the money.'

A Wheaties box cover athlete and four-time gold medal winner, 65-year-old diver Greg Louganis said his career was mismanaged and he needed the money that auctioning off some of his medals would get him.

"I have auctioned three of my medals, which sold, I believe, because I went against what the 'experts' told me last time when I tried the first time," Louganis wrote in a surprising Facebook post.

Louganis sold two of his four gold medals, along with a silver medal, the New York Post reported. The high-diver won gold in the three-meter springboard and 10-meter platform dives at both the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles and the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea.

His silver came in the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, Canada, for the 10-meter platform dive.

Louganis' medals took in a reported $437,000 combined, the Post reported.

"I told the truth; I needed the money. While many people may have built businesses and sold them for a profit, I had my medals, which I am grateful for," Louganis continued.

In the same post, the retired Olympian said goodbye to his home, while selling/giving away his belongings before moving abroad.

Greg Louganis competes in the Men's 10-meter platform competition at McDonald's Olympic Swim Stadium at the 1984 Summer Olympics, August 11, 1984. Photo by Rob Brown /Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images

"I decided to donate, sell what can be sold, give gifts, and give where things might be needed or appreciated," Louganis explained, revealing that he had a lot to consider regarding shipping and import fees when moving.

Now calling Panama home, the former diver was forced to confront the idea that he would be lacking in possessions when he moved, but he kept friends in mind who had lost their homes in some of California's wildfires, such as the Pacific Palisades fire in 2025 and the Woolsey Fire in 2018.

While Louganis' remarks left questions unanswered, including why Panama was the destination of choice, he chalked up his future to needing a spiritual journey to redefine himself.

Greg Louganis attends the Los Angeles premiere of 'Strange Darling' at DGA Theater Complex on August 19, 2024, in Los Angeles. Photo by Michael Tullberg/Getty Images

"Now I get to discover who is Greg Louganis? Without the distraction and noise from outside. At least this is my goal, and hey, I may not find that," he wrote.

The Olympian added, "I think I may find it at times, in moments, my goal is to live it! Discover, allow, and nurture that human spirit through the experiences of life. To be joyful in the moments, embrace the grief, the anger, and the laughter, and embrace it all, feel it all in this experience we call our lives."

In addition to his Olympic medals, Louganis won 11 more gold medals between the World Championships and Pan American Games from 1979 to 1986.

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Western Michigan sparks controversy with Arabic jersey during NCAA college football kickoff

A Western Michigan player's jersey is grabbing the attention of fans instead of his play after the college football kickoff last weekend.

A rivalry game between Michigan State University and Western Michigan University saw the Spartans win 23-6 at home, but one Broncos player stood out among the crowd in the losing effort.

'This is still America right.'

Along with wearing the somewhat unique No. 0, it was not Mustafi Al-Garawi's two tackles that viewers took note of, but rather that the nameplate on his jersey was written in Arabic.

An East Tennessee State transfer, the senior defensive tackle submitted a request to Western Michigan in the summer asking if he could play his final season with Arabic writing on the back of his jersey.

According to Detroit News, Al-Garawi was born in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, after his father was granted U.S. citizenship for rebelling against his own country (Iraq) during Saddam Hussein's rule. Rashid Al-Garawi allegedly assisted U.S. forces in the Second Gulf War.

Western Michigan head coach Lance Taylor and school officials approved the Arabic writing, seemingly following an NCAA rule that allows players to "celebrate or memorialize people, events or other causes, subject to school and/or conference approval," according to CBS Sports in 2020.

The messages can vary from player to player.

After a college football fan page with 150,000 followers posted an image of Al-Garawi's jersey, it was met with mostly negative reactions from fans.

"That's awful," one Texan wrote on X.

"Why is that cool. This is America. Nobody can read it," another user said.

"This is still America right," another fan replied.

At least a half-dozen X users called for Al-Garawi's deportation, while some other fans even called the writing "gay."

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Charles Du's #49 jersey of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. Photo by CFP/Getty Images

While this may be the first time a player name has been written in Arabic in an NCAA football game, there have already been two players who have had their names written in Chinese.

First, Arizona State University's He Peizhang, aka Jackson He, had his name written in Chinese in 2020. He came to the U.S. from Guangdong, China, at 17 years old, according to South China Morning Post.

In 2025, Charles Du of Notre Dame grabbed headlines and social media attention when he had his name written in Chinese during the Sugar Bowl on January 2.

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The promised return has come, dazzling as ever, right on schedule

What a lovely Labor Day weekend that was. As a new week begins, I find myself reflecting over all that happened these past three days. I must say what’s on my heart.

When you left last January, you assured me you would come back. I remember that moment like it was yesterday — your abrupt departure in the wee hours of a Tuesday morning.

Some of you for a time is better than none of you at all. I’ve come to accept this.

Seven months will go by “just like that,” you coyly suggested. That’s how I remember it, as the room went dark immediately upon your absence. Why must you do this to me?

I tried to wait for you, and by and large, I was successful. The truth is that but for a brief fling of madness in March, there’s been an unmistakable “you-shaped” hole in my life.

I never want to feel this emptiness again, yet something tells me that before long, it will happen again. Looking back, it’s the Saturdays without you that were the hardest.

I needn’t remind you that we spent that entire day together, you and I, from early morning to well past midnight. Other friends came and went, but I never took my eyes off you.

Those were happy times, with homemade soup on the stove, a fire on the hearth, and you, even more radiant than the turning colors outside, the center of my undivided attention.

I realize a bird of your beguiling plumage is meant to be free, and I’ve no right to keep you all to myself. But keep you I shall for the blissful time we’ve been given to spend together. When I’m not gazing lovingly at you, know this: I will be thinking of you.

Oh, the places we’ll go now that you’re back! Athens will be special this fall, rich in history and tradition as it is; Oxford, too. I suspect we’ll make memories together in many other places as well. Come January, you’re sure to bowl me over with some surprises of your own.

Speaking of that cruelest of months when, as if on a predetermined schedule, you flee, I shall try not to grow sullen. I’ll pursue other interests to take my lovesick mind off you. But it won’t be the same, for there is only one you. Nothing even comes close.

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Alfieri via iStock/Getty Images

I know I’m not the only man who longs for you. I’m not even the only man on my cul-de-sac who longs for you. But you were crystal clear about this arrangement from the very beginning. I’m not the first, and I won’t be the last. Some of you for a time is better than none of you at all. I’ve come to accept this.

You know something? That’s enough pining by me. It’s all water under the bridge now. What matters most is that you have once again returned, as promised.

Absence has made the heart grow fonder. We are together again, my beloved, and for the next five months I’ll have eyes for nobody — and I mean nobody — except you.

Oh, how I have missed you, college football.

Tennis player labeled 'racist' for scolding black opponent after match: 'I was NEVER racist'

Tennis player Jelena Ostapenko was labeled "racist" by fans after she insulted opponent Taylor Townsend following a match at the 2025 U.S. Open.

Townsend hammered Ostapenko, winning in straight sets — 7-5, 6-1 — before the two shook hands at the end of play. Immediately after, and with Townsend saying "good match," the opponents got into an argument about tennis etiquette.

Etiquette, however, was not the actual problem. Rather, it was Ostapenko's alleged insults toward Townsend that some viewers believed were "racist."

'People get upset when they lose, and some people say bad things.'

"You have to say sorry," No. 26-ranked Ostapenko is heard saying on video. The rest of her rant toward 139-ranked Townsend remained a mystery until a subsequent on-court interview.

"Can you fill us in on the conversation you were having with Jelena," an ESPN reporter asked Townsend.

"Yeah, I mean, you know, it's competition. People get upset when they lose, and some people say bad things," the American began. "She told me I have no class. I have no education and to see what happens when we get outside the U.S."

Ostapenko is Latvian.

Townsend continued, strangely stating, "I'm looking forward to it. I mean, I beat her in Canada, outside the U.S. I beat her in New York, outside the U.S. So let's see what else she has to say."

Later at a press conference, Townsend was asked directly if she felt the Latvian's remarks had racial undertones.

"That's something that you're going to have to ask her," Townsend replied.

The 29-year-old then admitted that she did not feel the remarks were actually racist.

"I didn't take it in that way. But also, you know, that has been a stigma in our community of, you know, being non-educated and all the things when it's the furthest thing from the truth. And the thing that I'm the most proud of is that I let my racket talk," she said.

As reported by the Daily Mail, Ostapenko said on her social media account that she felt it was "very disrespectful" of Townsend when she "had a net ball in a very deciding momen[t] and didn't say sorry, but her answer was that she doesn’t have to say sorry at all."

"It was first time ever that this happened to me on tour ... if she plays in her homeland it doesn't mean that she can behave and do whatever she wants," the 28-year-old Latvian stated.

Ostapenko's social media has been flooded with claims that her on-court remarks were racist, with comments appearing on her Instagram page, such as: "Not only is your racism showing but so was your lack of class. You don't like the calls take it up with the ref."

Another user wrote, "I pray you learn how to take your losses and get rid of your racist thoughts and behavior. It's not a good look."

The athlete later responded to the claims on her page.

Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia (L) argues with Taylor Townsend of the United States (R) following their Women's Singles Second Round match on Day Four of the 2025 US Open at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on August 27, 2025, in New York City. Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images

"Wow how many messages I received that I am a racist," Ostapenko wrote on Instagram. "I was NEVER racist in my life and I respect all nations of people in the world, for me it doesn't matter where you come from."

"There are some rules in tennis and unfortunately when the crowd is with you you can't use it in disrespectful way to your opponent," she continued.

"Unfortunately for me coming from such a small country I don't have that huge support and a chance to play in homeland," she added. "I always loved to play in the US and US OPEN, but this is the first time someone is approaching the match this disrespectful way."

Despite Townsend remarking that Ostapenko was not being racist at the time, she felt it necessary to declare she is representing black people when competing.

"Whether it had racial undertones or not, that's something she can speak on," the Illinois native stated.

"[I'm] very proud as a black woman being out here representing myself and representing us and our culture," she said. "I make sure that I do everything that I can to be the best representation possible every time that I step on the court and even off the court."

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New York Yankees waste no time before honoring Charlie Kirk

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Western Michigan sparks controversy with Arabic jersey during NCAA college football kickoff

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Tennis player labeled 'racist' for scolding black opponent after match: 'I was NEVER racist'

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