Tennessee colleges took action against employees who made inappropriate comments after conservative activist Charlie Kirk was assassinated last week at a Turning Point USA event in Utah.
Kirk, who is the founder of Turning Point USA, was at Utah Valley University when Tyler Robinson, who lived with his transgender partner, allegedly shot him with a bolt-action rifle from a long distance.
Cumberland University fired Michael Rex and Max Wood.
On social media, Rex, who was a college staff member, said, “Crying about a Nazi getting shot while staying silent about the school shooting in Colorado today is peak Republican.”
Also, he posted: “On Charlie Kirk: Thoughts and Prayers. Oh, And Kharma is a beautiful b***ch.”
Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) posted about Rex’s social media comments saying he “should not be allowed within ten feet of university students – let alone allowed to instruct them.”
“Mr. Rex has tried to walk these comments back, but the damage has been done. He should be fired immediately,” she stated.
On X, Wood said, “God comes to collect no matter how rich and politically powerful you are. If you live a life of SIN and bask in it, you deserve whatever judgement god deems fit. One less Pedophile supporter on this planet.”
After making this online post, Wood, who was an English professor, said he “made a knee-jerk reaction tweet to a tragedy.”
“It doesn’t reflect who I am or where I actually stand, and I am deeply regretful for making the tweet. As I represent more than just myself now, I need to ensure that I represent the morals/values that represent me fully,” he explained.
In the school’s announcement, it called these two professors’ comments “inappropriate”, according to Fox17.
“This decision was not made lightly. We understand the importance and impact of this action, and we want to emphasize that we conducted a comprehensive investigation prior to making our decision,” Dr. Paul C. Stumb, president of Cumberland University, said.
Darren Michael, who was a theatre professor at Austin Peay State University, got fired by the school.
On social media, he shared a screenshot of a Newsweek headline saying, “Charlie Kirk Says Gun Deaths ‘Unfortunately’ Worth it to Keep 2nd Amendment.”
According to Clarksville Now, the college said Michael “reshared a post on social media that was insensitive, disrespectful and interpreted by many as propagating justification for unlawful death.”
“Such actions do not align with Austin Peay’s commitment to mutual respect and human dignity. The university deems these actions unacceptable and has terminated the faculty member,” Austin Peay State University President Mike Licari explained.
– – –
Zachery Schmidt is the digital editor of The Star News Network. Email tips to Zachery at [email protected].
Photo “Charlie Kirk” by Gage Skidmore. CC BY-SA 4.0.
