Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones compares Charlie Kirk’s murder to MLK, JFK
Before the Dallas Cowboys’ home opener against the New York Giants on Sunday, the team held a moment of silence for Charlie Kirk, who was killed Wednesday at Utah Valley University at an event for his organization Turning Point USA.
Turning Point USA advocates for conservative values on college and high school campuses and has become one of the most powerful political groups in the country.
Kirk was a controversial figure who was lambasted by his critics for his rhetoric, which some saw as being racist and divisive.
After the game, Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones compared Kirk’s murder to political murders in the 1960s, such as those of Martin Luther King Jr. and John F. Kennedy, in explaining why the team chose to honor such a divisive figure.
“Well, we just all abhor violence, and it’s impacting us all, and certainly we all stand together on any front relative to the threat of violence,” Jones said. “And we just all hope that we’ll go through a time. I was involved, a young guy, but aware in the ‘60s when we had huge violence. Lost President Kennedy, his brother, and many, many others, Martin Luther King. And so it’s something that we really all need to just be aware of, support our law enforcement, and do everything we can to keep the violence in check.”
The Cowboys were not the first sports team to honor Kirk. The New York Yankees also held a moment of silence before one of their games, and the NFL did so before the Thursday night game between the Green Bay Packers and the Washington Commanders.
The NFL put out a statement after the game explaining its decision.
“There have been a variety of moments of silence and tributes in-stadium and on air in all games or a game immediately following events that rise to a national level,” the NFL said. “Clubs also often hold moments following a tragic event that affects their community.
“There have been moments following school shootings or an attack on a house of worship such as the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh in 2018. There also have been moments following major international incidents such as Hamas attack on Israel in October 2023 and weather-related incidents such as major hurricanes and fires.
“This is in addition to honoring those in the NFL family from tributes to recently passed players or personnel, or a player such as Damar Hamlin in 2023. The NFL also honored, before Super Bowl LIV, NBA star Kobe Bryant and the other victims of the helicopter crash (Gianna Bryant, Sarah and Payton Chester, Christina Mauser, Ara Zobayan) and also Pro Football Hall of Famer Chris Doleman who passed that week.”
This story was originally published September 14, 2025 at 12:10 PM.
