A Tennessee university will pay a professor $500,000 and give him his job back after firing him over a social media post about Charlie Kirk's killing—then admitting it broke its own rules, the New York Times reports. Austin Peay State University in Clarksville dismissed tenured theater professor Darren Michael in September, not long after his Facebook post about Kirk, a conservative activist and Trump ally who was shot and killed while speaking at Utah Valley University on Sept. 10. Two days later, Michael shared a 2023 Newsweek article quoting Kirk defending gun rights, headlined, "Charlie Kirk Says Gun Deaths 'Unfortunately' Worth It to Keep 2nd Amendment." Michael's post drew sharp criticism from conservatives, including Sen. Marsha Blackburn, who tagged the school on Facebook and asked, "What do you say, Austin Peay State University?"
That same day, university president Michael Licari emailed Michael to say he was being fired "effective immediately" over posts that had caused "significant reputational damage" to the school and were seen as "disrespectful" and as justifying "unlawful death," according to documents obtained by the Times. Within two weeks, however, the public university reversed course, acknowledging it had violated Michael's due-process rights; it placed him on paid suspension while it pursued termination.
The dispute ended Dec. 30 under a settlement that reinstated Michael, 56, and awarded him $500,000, averting a potential wrongful-termination lawsuit. Michael will also be reimbursed for therapeutic counseling services he received after what his lawyer says was a "traumatic" experience. The agreement, first reported by Nashville station WKRN, was approved by Tennessee's governor, attorney general, and comptroller. Michael's attorney, David L. King, said his client's post was simply a repost of Kirk's own words and argued the university bowed to political pressure. Austin Peay confirmed the reinstatement but declined further comment, but Clarksville Now reports that in an email to the school community, Licari apologized for not following the "required tenure termination process."
King says he's not done "exploring future options" against those who "interfered with (Michael's) First Amendment rights," the Tennessean reports. But for now, he says his client is happy to get back to the classroom: "He's been agonizing over being able to provide for his students during this time." Meanwhile, a number of others across the nation are in the middle of lawsuits regarding similar firings.
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