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Super Bowl champion head coach Tony Dungy reflected on Charlie Kirk’s memorial service on Tuesday.
Thousands of mourners flocked to State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, over the weekend in honor of the 31-year-old conservative influencer, who was assassinated at an event at Utah Valley University earlier this month.
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Tony Dungy on the NBC Sports set before the game between the Los Angeles Rams and the Buffalo Bills at SoFi Stadium on Sept. 8, 2022. (Kirby Lee/USA TODAY Sports)
Erika Kirk, Charlie’s wife, was among those to give heartwarming speeches. President Donald Trump and Elon Musk were among those to speak at the service as well.
“I think people were energized and I was very appreciative of it,” Dungy said on OutKick’s “Don’t @ Me with Dan Dakich.” “Take all of the politics out of it. Just say, ‘We’re gonna honor this man’s life. We’re gonna talk about what Christ would say and what He wants to see, and I thought that was done.
“You’re never going to take politics out totally. But I thought the gist of it was exactly what it should be.”
Dungy didn’t attend the event. At least one sports figure from the sports world was there – Chicago Cubs rookie Matt Shaw.
Attendees react during a memorial for conservative activist Charlie Kirk, Sunday, Sept. 21, 2025, at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
METS ANNOUNCERS CRITICIZE CUBS PLAYER MATT SHAW FOR LEAVING TEAM TO ATTEND CHARLIE KIRK’S FUNERAL
Shaw was a friend of Charlie Kirk and had snapped a photo with him alongside teammate Michael Busch at Wrigley Field in the weeks prior to his death.
Shaw explained why he left the team to attend the service on Tuesday.
“My connection with Charlie was through our [Christian] faith,” Shaw said before the Cubs opened a new series with the New York Mets, via the Chicago Sun-Times. “And that’s something that drives me every day, the reason why I’m able to do what I do every day, and that’s something I’m extremely thankful for.
“I know without my faith and without the many blessings I’ve been given in my life, that I wouldn’t be here, be able to talk to you guys, able to help this team eventually go and win championships.
A tribute to Charlie Kirk is shown on the Jumbotron before a NASCAR Cup Series auto race, Saturday, Sept. 13, 2025, in Bristol, Tennessee. (AP Photo/Wade Payne)
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“That’s something I feel really, really blessed about, so whatever backlash comes is OK. I feel strong about my faith and that what was meant to be happened.”
Fox News’ Scott Thompson contributed to this report.
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