Who is Tim Kennedy? Staccato 2011 controversy explored as company issues apology amid mass online backlash

Firearms company Staccato 2011 was urged to issue a statement following their recent collaboration with Tim Kennedy. The organization clarified that the latter was not their brand ambassador. This comes after the former mixed martial arts fighter was accused of lying about his war records. Netizens have since taken to the internet to react to the controversy.

On January 31, Staccato 2011 released a statement on their official social media accounts clarifying that Tim Kennedy has never been their employee, paid brand influencer, or ambassador. Discussing their recent collaboration with him for a campaign, they said:

“The campaign that we started rolling out this week was intended to poke fun at our industry and all the characters in it. One of those characters was intended to be a ‘bro vet’ and we believed Tim Kennedy would be perfect for that role. These decisions and shooting took place prior to many of the stories that have come to light in the recent weekend and months.”

They then stated that the collaboration was “in bad judgment.”

Tim Kennedy is a decorated Green Beret sniper who has also served with the 7th and 19th Special Forces in the past. The Bronze Star Medal holder is also an active duty Master Sergeant with the U.S. Army.

Staccato 2011 had since deleted their campaign video with Kennedy from their social media platforms at the time of writing this article.

After Staccato owned up to their supposed wrongdoings, netizens took to X to extend support to them. Some reactions read:

“All good keep doing what you do,” an X user said.

“I knew that Kennedy was having a tough time with some senators in his confirmation, but, damn, now getting dropped by Staccato? Sucks to be him,” another platform user said.

“Good move! Super fast response! Hopefully the damage will be minimal,” another internet user said.

Evidently, many were pleased to see Tim Kennedy being seemingly ousted from the Staccato family. This comes after YouTuber Valhalla VFT accused Kennedy of not having a Bronze Star for Valor despite Kennedy claiming that he was awarded the same. Kennedy has since expressed regret over seemingly lying about the same by stating that he does have a Bronze Star but not for valor. Meanwhile, some other reactions read:

“Dannnggg Tim is COOKED,” an X user said.

“As always, you guys are thorough professionals,” another internet user said.

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All about Tim Kennedy and the controversies he was embroiled in as Staccato 2011 releases statement

Timothy Fred Kennedy grew up in San Luis Obispo, California. He attended Eagle Academy private high school and went on to graduate from the Columbia College of Missouri while earning a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice. He joined the United States Army and enlisted himself in the elite Special Forces in 2004. Meanwhile, he also continued to compete in MMA while serving as a Green Beret.

Last year, Kennedy faced allegations of lying about his military service, which is commonly referred to as “stolen valor” in the army community. This comes from the claims he made in his memoir Scars and Stripes, where he allegedly exaggerated aspects of his service.

His former teammate Kevin Wolf, a senior communications sergeant who served alongside Kennedy, claimed that he had no recollection of Kennedy’s combat injuries he claimed to have experienced. Kennedy also stated in his book that he purposely failed sniper school due to schedule conflicts with his wedding. However, a former classmate of his and sniper teacher stated that he failed the “unknown distance” test in reality.

Tim Kennedy has fought professionally with the UFC, WEC, ShoMMA, and HDNet Fights. However, he retired in 2017. He has since opened multiple businesses, including Sheepdog Response, Woobies, Pillars Fit, Apogee Academy, and RangerUP.