Chicago Cubs co-owner Todd Ricketts recently defended his club’s third baseman, Matt Shaw, for attending the Charlie Kirk memorial during the regular season last year, which drew criticism throughout the MLB. He also provided background on Shaw’s friendship with Kirk, noting its importance in Shaw’s life.
Ricketts stated the following on Tuesday, during an interview with Dan Dakich on the latter’s program, “Don’t @ Me with Dan Dakich”:
“I know that Matt and Charlie were pretty good friends. They knew each other in a world that had nothing to do with baseball, Turning Point, or politics,” Ricketts said. “They met in Arizona, where they both lived, and they were always friends. I think it’s completely natural for someone to take a day off to attend the funeral of a loved one, whether that’s a close friend or a family member. I thought that was pretty normal.”
“Charlie’s murder was something that shook a lot of us to the core,” he continued. “When things like that happen, we have to be generous in how we think about our own responses, and also generous toward others in how they respond.”
During a game between the Cubs and the New York Mets later that season, shortly after the Kirk memorial, Shaw came under criticism by Mets broadcaster Gary Cohen for his decision to attend the memorial.
“I don’t want to talk about any of the politics of it, but the thought of leaving your team in the middle of a race for any reason other than a family emergency, really strikes me as weird,” Cohen said of Shaw during the broadcast.
According to Fox News, Cohen is unapologetic for this statement after being asked if he regretted making it.
