Former Panthers radio voice Bill Rosinski on his viral post that ‘really struck a chord with people’

Bill Rosinski posted a rejection notice on social media late last week because he found it funny. He never expected it to go viral.

Rosinski, the original radio voice of the Carolina Panthers, applied for the open play-by-play position with the Baltimore Ravens. He didn’t get an interview.

Instead, the 72-year-old received a form rejection letter, the same type of email many job seekers have received, stating, “At this time, we have decided to pursue other candidates whose background and experience are more closely aligned with the requirements of the position.”

That’s quite surprising, given Rosinski’s extensive credentials, including serving as the radio voice of two teams (the Ravens and the New Orleans Saints).

According to Scott Fowler of The Charlotte Observer, the post had more than two million views in less than 24 hours. We recently caught up with Rosinski to discuss the experience.

Note: This interview has been edited and condensed for length and clarity.

How have the past few days been?

Bill Rosinski: “Well, pretty interesting. I was floored by the reaction, whether it was ‘Hey, you deserve better’ or B, ‘Why don’t you just retire?’ It’s run the gamut. It’s been kind of crazy. After I posted it, my older son called me from Atlanta, and I said, ‘Hey, what’s up?’ He goes, ‘I wanted to talk to the guy who’s blowing up social media.’ I started to laugh and said, ‘Really?’ That’s when I started paying more attention.”

Why did you post the rejection notice?

“I thought it was funny. I had applied for the job online. Because I have an agent, he had talked to somebody in the Ravens’ organization but hadn’t gotten very far. Someone let me know they had posted the job online, so I filled it out and didn’t hear anything back. Then I got this email, I guess it was Wednesday. I looked at it, and I just started laughing. I showed it to my wife. I said, ‘Geez, they’re telling me they’re looking for somebody with I don’t know if the word was better qualifications or whatever their response was. The only reason I put it out there was the humor of it. I’ve been around for a long time. What qualifications are they looking for?'”

What do you usually post on X?

“I have 4,000 followers on Twitter. Anything I post is either for Panther fans or golf fans, because I’ve been working for PGA Tour Radio for a long time. That’s generally the people who read my stuff. And I don’t post all that often. I just thought I’ve been around a long time. I think my resume is pretty good. I knew it was a stock answer.

“What I later found out, because Scott talked to the Ravens, is that they said someone had actually written that email. I think they said there were at least 150 applicants for the job. They might have four or five finalists. (The rest of) us got pretty much the same email.”

Do you think your post went viral because so many people could relate to it?

“I believe that’s true. That really struck a chord with people. I’m 72, and I’m sure there are people in their late 50s and early 60s who are looking for work. They got phased out, and it’s just not broadcasting. It can be any business. I don’t think you should ever give up. If you love what you do, and I think I’m good at what I do, then why just say, ‘Okay, I’m done. I don’t want to do this anymore.'”

How does this experience typically go?

“A number of years ago, I interviewed for the Saints’ job. I spoke with someone at the radio station who was handling the hiring. It was a long phone call. I grew up outside Buffalo, and I’ve been a Bills fan since I was a little kid. Yes. The Bills had an opening a few years ago when John Murphy retired, so I interviewed with them. I was on a Zoom call with three people from Audacy who were handling the hiring for the local station, WGR in Buffalo, and one of the Bills representatives. It helped me get in there because Brandon Beane, the Bills’ GM, is a friend of mine. When I was with the Panthers, he was just breaking into the business.”

Are you bothered by the way this was handled?

“No, I was never upset with the Ravens about it because I knew they were doing [the hiring through] a third-party. I’ll be honest with you. I’m 72, and my chances of getting a full-time gig like that… So, when some guy retires, it’s like the Bills’ job. They ended up hiring a local guy. He was already on the broadcast. He’d been there for a long time. He’d been doing their shows, and I get that. Same thing with the Saints. When I interviewed, they ended up hiring a local guy. They don’t have to move them.”

So, are you not annoyed by this process?

“I think when you hire out, when you go to a third party that’s doing all the interviews, I don’t even know who these people are. They don’t give you names. I guess it’s a fact of life these days. It’s how companies do these things, including NFL franchises. If that’s the way they’re going to do it, that’s great. As I said, I have no ill will against the Ravens.”

How much do you think your age has kept you from getting jobs?

“Let’s face it, that’s the elephant in the room. They’re never going to tell you that because it’s illegal. They’re not going to say, ‘You know what? Bill would have been great, but he’s 72, and we want somebody who’s going to be around a while.’ But when Dave Sims got the Yankees job, he’s (73). I thought maybe there’s still a chance out there for guys like me. That gave me a kind of renewed sense that something like this might happen, but in reality, I know it’s the elephant in the room.”

Is getting back to doing play-by-play for an NFL team still the goal?

“Yeah. I’ll be honest with you. I’ve had a great career. I’ve been the voice of two NFL teams. I was with ESPN Radio for 10 years. I started doing NFL games for Westwood One in the late 80s. I worked with Jack Hamm and Jack Snow. After the Panthers, I was back at Westwood One. I worked with Dan Reeves for three years doing NFL games, and then I went to ESPN.”

What kind of radio work do you do currently?

“Over the last few years, I’ve worked for Compass Media. I did three NFL games for them last year. I did a handful the year before. I still got golf. I do 12 to 13 tournaments a year. I’m still active. I love what I do. My wife has been my statistician for the last 30 years. When I did games with ESPN, and lately with Compass, she comes with me and does the stats. We travel together. It’s fun. I’m getting paid to go to an NFL game. Why give that up?”