A Phoenix Suns writer has become the latest sports figure to get fired for posting about the late Charlie Kirk.
PHNX Sports has parted ways with writer Gerald Bourguet over a series of posts that he made to social media on Wednesday night in the aftermath of the killing of Kirk, the popular conservative commentator. Kirk was shot in the neck during a speaking appearance on the Utah Valley campus in Orem, Utah and died as a result of the shooting.
In a thread posted to his X page, Bourguet referred to Kirk as “an evil man who died” and went on to criticize Kirk’s ideologies. Bourguet also said that he would be “refusing to mourn a life” that was devoted to “spewing hateful rhetoric on a daily basis.” You can read Bourguet’s full thread at the link here.
On Thursday, PHNX Sports released a statement saying that “the opinions expressed by our employees” did not represent their own views and added that they had “made the decision to part ways” with the employee in question.
The opinions expressed by our employees do not represent the views of PHNX or ALLCITY Network. We take matters involving violence very seriously and are committed to ensuring that ALLCITY remains a safe place for our employees and community alike. We have addressed this matter…
— PHNX Sports (@PHNX_Sports) September 11, 2025
Jeremy Cluff of The Arizona Republic confirmed that Bourguet was indeed the employee who was fired. Bourguet was a well-known local writer, namely for his work on the Suns beat, and his bio on X described himself as the “lead Suns writer” for PHNX Sports.
The news comes after a Carolina Panthers employee was also fired this week over a post that mocked Kirk’s death. The Panthers went on to condemn their employee’s post in a statement of their own before proceeding to let the employee go.
By the same token though, Kirk, the founder of the right-wing organization Turning Point USA, has received tributes from the sports world in the wake of his death as well. Namely, one top MLB team held a moment of silence for Kirk before Wednesday’s game.
