A public university in Tennessee has reinstated a theater professor who was fired following a social media post made in the aftermath of conservative activist Charlie Kirk’s assassination, agreeing to pay him $500,000 as part of a settlement, as reported by the New York Post.
Darren Michael, an associate professor of acting and directing at Austin Peay State University, was officially reinstated last month, according to a settlement agreement reported Tuesday by WKRN News 2.
The agreement resolves a dispute stemming from Michael’s termination in September and includes financial compensation as well as additional remedies.
Under the terms of the settlement, the university will pay Michael $500,000 and reimburse him for “therapeutic counseling services.”
The agreement also requires Austin Peay State University to issue a formal statement acknowledging regret over how the termination was handled.
“APSU agrees to issue a statement acknowledging regret for not following the tenure termination process in connection with the Dispute,” the agreement states.
The statement is to be distributed via email “through APSU’s reasonable communication channels to faculty, staff, and students.”
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Michael was fired on Sept. 12, two days after Kirk was shot and killed by a sniper at Utah Valley University.
His termination followed criticism over what the university described at the time as “insensitive” social media activity related to the Turning Point USA co-founder.
The controversy centered on a Facebook post in which Michael shared an article titled, “Charlie Kirk says gun deaths are ‘unfortunately’ worth it to keep 2nd Amendment.” Michael did not add any caption or commentary to the post.
The post drew attention from U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn, a Republican from Tennessee, who shared a screenshot of Michael’s Facebook page on X.
Her post included a photograph of Michael and his resume, along with the caption, “What do you say, Austin Peay?”
What do you say, @austinpeay? pic.twitter.com/dTgCe4iv5l
— Marsha Blackburn (@VoteMarsha) September 12, 2025
Later that same day, Austin Peay State University announced that Michael had been terminated.
In a statement cited by The Tennessean, the university said the professor’s social media activity 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,” APSU President Mike Licari said at the time.
The university deems these actions unacceptable and has terminated the faculty member.”
The settlement agreement now reflects a reversal of that decision, focusing instead on procedural issues related to Michael’s tenure status.
According to the agreement, the university acknowledged that it did not follow the required tenure termination process when it dismissed Michael.
Austin Peay State University is located in Clarksville, Tennessee, and operates as a public institution within the state university system.
The settlement brings a formal end to the dispute and returns Michael to his faculty position while compensating him financially for the termination and its aftermath.
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