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A Florida county school board chair issued an apology after sharing a Facebook comments celebrating the death of WWE Hall of Famer Terry 'Hulk Hogan' Bollea, FOX News reports.
Sarah Rockwell shared comments on her official Alachua County Public Schools account bashing Hogan for his ties to President Donald Trump, as well as former WWE chairman Vince McMahon and his wife, former WWE CEO Linda McMahon, who currently serves as the United States Secretary of Education.
“Oh did Hulk die? I didn’t even know. Good. One less MAGA in the world,” the initial since-deleted comment stated.
“[H]e worked with the McMahons to union bust professional wrestling. [H]e’s never been a good guy. I feel absolutely nothing about his death," she wrote in a follow-up comment.
Rockwell faced backlash on social media after the comments went viral, at which point she deleted them and issued an apology.
“A few days ago, I made a cruel and flippant comment from my personal Facebook account on a friend’s post regarding the death of Hulk Hogan,” she wrote on Saturday (July 26). “I deeply regret making that comment and have since removed it. I want to make it very clear that I never have and never will wish harm on anyone regardless of whether we share political views. While I strongly disagree with some of the comments Hulk Hogan made, that is no excuse for my comment.”
“I also sincerely apologize for the way my comment has eroded confidence in my ability to represent all students, families, and staff in Alachua County. I want to assure all of you that the best interests of our children and our public schools are at the center of everything I do as a board member. I hope I have shown that by my record of advocacy for children, families, and staff members throughout Alachua County. Again, I apologize for the hurt and distrust I have caused with my insensitive comment. I will continue to do the hard work of putting our children and schools first. I hope that I can earn back your trust.”
WWE confirmed Bollea's death in posts shared on its social media accounts Thursday.
Medics reportedly responded to a reported "cardiac arrest" at Bollea's Clearwater home early Thursday morning, with the dispatch audio clip obtained and shared by TMZ Sports. Sources with knowledge of the situation told TMZ Sports that several police vehicles and EMTs were parked outside the wrestling legend's home and he was reported to be carried out on a stretcher and into an ambulance.
Hogan's reported death came weeks after his wife, Sky, denied rumors that he was in a coma, claiming his heart was "strong" while recovering from surgeries, according to TMZ Sports. The website had previously reported rumors of the wrestler being on his "deathbed," which were later clarified to be symptoms of a neck procedure in May.
The Hulk Hogan character is one of the most well-known in the history of professional wrestling, leading WWE to become a global enterprise in the 1980s as the face of the company during its popularity boom. Bollea was a five-time WWE (then-WWF) Champion, which included a 1,474-day reign as the longest of the WrestleMania era and a six-time WCW World Heavyweight Champion, where he was the leader of the New World Order as 'Hollywood' Hulk Hogan during his tenure with the now-defunct promotion.
Hogan was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame twice as both an individual and as a member of the faction.