NYC radio hosts blast Mets announcer over comments on Cubs player attending Charlie Kirk memorial service
Cubs third baseman Matt Shaw attended the Arizona memorial; Mets broadcaster Gary Cohen drew criticism from WFAN hosts after remarks about the decision amid a pennant race
New York City radio hosts on Wednesday morning blasted Mets play-by-play announcer Gary Cohen for comments about Cubs third baseman Matt Shaw leaving Sunday’s game to attend Charlie Kirk’s memorial service in Arizona. The Cubs, who are in the thick of a pennant race, lost the day’s matchup 1-0 to the Cincinnati Reds, a detail cited as context for the discussion on air.
Cohen’s remarks came late in the Mets–Cubs game, when he noted Shaw’s absence did not fall under MLB’s bereavement policy and described leaving the team mid‑race for any reason other than a family emergency as “weird.” He said he did not want to discuss politics, but his comments were interpreted by the radio hosts as taking a political stance and overshadowing Shaw’s personal decision. The hosts questioned why a player’s attendance at a memorial service should be judged through a political lens and argued that the focus should be on Shaw’s personal faith and connections rather than a perceived political takeaway.
"Gary Cohen’s whole life has been baseball, and baseball’s a very serious thing for him. But Matt Shaw saw his friend get shot and killed, and Shaw’s wife reached out to him to attend because of their friendship and faith. And Gary Cohen’s got a problem with that because the Cubs are in a pennant race? Have we lost all touch with reality here?" one host said, framing the controversy as a broader debate about personal priorities in the middle of a competitive season. Another host pressed the point, arguing that the commentary crossed from sports into politics and should not be a measure of a player’s character or loyalty to his team.
Cohen’s remarks drew immediate pushback from program hosts and former players who argued that the decision to attend a memorial service should be judged on human terms, not political optics. "Let’s say we didn’t know who Charlie Kirk was, and Matt Shaw was friends with somebody who got shot in the neck and killed in front of his family. Would Gary Cohen have a problem with that because he doesn’t know the person who was killed? Or was it because Charlie Kirk had a political platform that Gary Cohen disagrees with, so now it’s weird a baseball player goes over there?" one host added, questioning the underlying premise of Cohen’s stance. 
Shaw later explained his decision in comments to reporters, noting that his connection with Charlie Kirk stemmed from shared faith. "My connection with Charlie was through our faith, and that’s something that drives me every day. So whatever backlash comes is OK. I feel strong about my faith and the many blessings I’ve been given are why I’m able to be here," Shaw said before the Cubs opened a new series with the Mets. He added that he was thankful for the support of Kirk’s wife, Erika, who had reached out to him to express friendship and approval of his attendance. The Cubs, Counsell said, discussed the matter with Shaw and his teammates, and Shaw indicated he believed his attendance would be accommodated given the circumstances surrounding the memorial.
Cubs manager Craig Counsell and Shaw’s teammates publicly supported the decision after speaking with Shaw, noting that the player had discussed the memorial with the club and believed he would be allowed to attend. "The reason Charlie and I connected so close was because of our faith," Shaw said, echoing his previous comments about the importance of faith in his life. His teammates and club officials emphasized that Shaw’s absence would not derail the team’s efforts in a tight pennant race, and they stressed the importance of supporting players’ personal beliefs and commitments when appropriate.
The exchange drew attention from across sports media, with other analysts noting the delicate balance between personal beliefs and professional obligations in a high-stakes season. Zeile, Cohen’s former Mets teammate and current broadcaster, added that Shaw’s absence was unusual and, in his view, unprecedented in modern baseball, especially given the timing and the perception of whether the decision had been fully disclosed to the organization ahead of the scheduled game. He also highlighted that the situation was not strictly about on-field performance but about transparency and communication with the team and its fan base.
The broader conversation touched on how athletes navigate personal convictions in a public arena, particularly when those convictions involve non-sport figures and political or religious figures who are part of a player’s personal network. Kirk’s memorial service in Arizona drew attention beyond Shaw’s circle, drawing a line between personal faith, friendships, and public life. Erika Kirk’s outreach to Shaw underscored the personal connections involved and the sensitivity around how these choices are interpreted by fans and media alike.
As the Cubs continued their pennant chase, the incident remained a talking point for sports talk shows and media commentators, illustrating how personal decisions off the field can become intertwined with on-field storylines in contemporary baseball culture. The Mets–Cubs rivalry and the broader national discourse around athletes, faith, and politics continued to collide in the hours and days that followed, with Shaw’s attendance at the memorial service standing as a reminder of the increasingly porous boundaries between sports, faith, and public life.