Chicago Cubs third baseman Matt Shaw defended his decision to skip a game against the Cincinnati Reds and attend the memorial service for Turning Point USA Founder Charlie Kirk, noting that “whatever backlash comes is okay.”
Shaw spoke with reporters on Tuesday and explained that he had known Kirk “since the offseason while living in the same apartment complex in Arizona,” the Chicago Tribune reported. He continued to describe Kirk as being “one of the biggest Cubs fans” he had ever met, and added that he was “super supportive.”
Shaw continued to explain that Erika Kirk, the widow of Charlie Kirk, texted him and asked if he “would come to the funeral.”
“His wife Erika had texted me, asking me if I would come to the funeral, and I felt as though it was something that was really important for me to do,” Shaw explained.
When asked if he was “concerned about the backlash,” Shaw explained that he was “not concerned at all,” and shared that his “connection with Charlie” had been through their faith.
“I’m not concerned at all. My connection with Charlie was through our faith. That’s something that drives me every day, that’s the reason why I’m able to do what I do every day, and that’s something I’m extremely thankful for,” Shaw explained. “I know without my faith, and without the many blessings I’ve been given in my life, that I wouldn’t be here able to talk to you guys, able to help this team eventually go and win championships. So, that’s something I feel really, really blessed about. So, whatever backlash comes is okay, I feel strong about my faith in that what was meant to be happened.”
Per the Chicago Tribune, “Shaw’s absence required team approval because it did not meet the qualifications for Major League Baseball’s bereavement list.” Shaw also explained that he had spoken “with president of baseball operation Jed Hoyer and manager Craig Counsell about leaving” and that he also spoke with “four or five Cubs veterans.”:
Shaw said he spoke with president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer and manager Craig Counsell about leaving the team for the memorial and discussed the situation with four or five Cubs veterans because he felt turmoil over whether to go. He asked those unnamed teammates what he should do and said they gave him a lot of support and really good advice in those moments.
Shaw then informed five or six other teammates what was going on and where he would be Sunday so they wouldn’t be surprised when he wasn’t at Great American Ball Park for the series finale, a 1-0 loss to the Reds that resulted in a four-game sweep of the Cubs as they try to lock down the top National League wild-card spot over the San Diego Padres.
Shaw’s absence required team approval because it did not meet the qualifications for Major League Baseball’s bereavement list. The collective bargaining agreement limits that to a serious or severe illness or death in a player’s immediate family (spouse, parent, grandparent, sibling, child, or grandchild) or in a player’s spouse’s immediate family.
People such as President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Human Events Senior Editor Jack Posobiec were among the speakers at Kirk’s memorial, after Kirk was assassinated on September 10 at Utah Valley University.
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