Cowboys owner Jerry Jones faces backlash after unexpected Charlie Kirk tribute
The Dallas Cowboys held a moment of silence for Charlie Kirk, a right-wing Trump supporter who was recently shot and killed.
On Sunday, the Dallas Cowboys hosted their first home game against the New York Giants. Ahead of the game, they held a moment of silence to honor the recently-killed right-wing Trump supporter and conservative activist Charlie Kirk, a move that has caused backlash considering Cowboys owner Jerry Jones’ previous comments on politics in sports.
Former NBA player questions Jerry Jones’ surprising decision
Former NBA player Etan Thomas, who once teamed up with Michael Jordan in Washington, publicly criticized Jones for holding a moment of silence honoring Kirk. Thomas argued that Jones contradicted his long-standing stance of keeping politics out of sports by recognizing such a politically polarizing figure.
Oh so now Jerry Jones is ok with mixing sports and politics ? pic.twitter.com/EastnXghMP
— Etan Thomas (@etanthomas36) September 15, 2025
“We just all abhor violence...And it’s impacting us all,” Jones said. “And, certainly, we all stand together on any front, relative to the threat of violence... I was a young guy, but aware, in the ‘60s when we had huge violence, lost President Kennedy and his brother and many, many others, Martin Luther King. It’s something that we all really need to just be aware of, support our law enforcement, and do everything we can to keep the violence in check.”
The NFL had instructed teams, including the Packers, to hold tributes after Kirk’s death, but Thomas says Jones’ comments after the ceremony showed selective enforcement of his own “no politics in sports” rule. Although Jones defended the tribute by framing it as a broader stand against violence, the moment has ignited debate about the intersection of politics, tragedy, and professional sports.
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