It was the post that basically lit the college football corner of the internet on fire for a weekend. People expect quarterbacks to talk about coverages, NIL deals, or maybe their favorite cleats. They don’t usually expect them to jump head-first into the middle of a political firestorm involving one of the most polarizing figures in modern American discourse.
But that’s exactly what happened with Jaxson Dart and Charlie Kirk.
If you weren't scrolling through Instagram on that specific day in September 2025, you might have missed the spark. It started with a tragic, shocking event: the assassination of Charlie Kirk, the founder of Turning Point USA (TPUSA). While the news was still breaking, Jaxson Dart—the former Ole Miss standout and then-rookie quarterback for the New York Giants—posted a tribute that left a lot of fans scratching their heads and others ready to burn their jerseys.
The Post That Started the Firestorm
Jaxson Dart didn't just post a "thoughts and prayers" message. He went several steps further.
His Instagram story featured a photo of Kirk with a caption that read: "Praying for him and his family. Charlie did great things for our country!! Political violence NEEDS TO STOP!! Pray for our country man. This is disgusting and Sad."
It was the phrase "did great things for our country" that really acted like a lightning rod. Honestly, in the world of professional sports, most guys play it incredibly safe. They stick to the script. Dart? He threw the script out the window.
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The backlash was almost instantaneous. On platforms like Reddit, particularly the New York Giants subreddits, fans were deeply divided. Some were "so so disappointed" to see Dart’s public support for a figure as controversial as Kirk. Others defended him, arguing that regardless of your politics, condemning the assassination of a 31-year-old activist shouldn't be a "controversial" take.
Why the Jaxson Dart and Charlie Kirk Connection Matters
You have to look at the context of where Dart came from to understand why this connection exists. Before he was under the bright lights of New Jersey playing for the Giants, Dart was the face of the Ole Miss Rebels in Oxford, Mississippi.
Oxford is a place where the cultural lines of the South often intersect with high-stakes college athletics. Turning Point USA has a massive footprint on Southern college campuses. Kirk himself spent years touring these universities, preaching a brand of "faith, family, and freedom" that resonates deeply with a specific segment of the student-athlete population.
The NIL Factor
Let’s be real for a second. Jaxson Dart was an NIL pioneer. He was the first college athlete to sign a deal with a private jet company, Nicholas Air. He was making millions before he ever took an NFL snap.
When you’re an athlete at that level, you aren't just a player; you’re a brand. Charlie Kirk’s entire mission with TPUSA was to bridge the gap between conservative politics and "cool" youth culture. Whether they ever sat down for a private dinner is irrelevant—they were both operating in the same ecosystem of high-value personal branding and "traditional American values" marketing.
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The Fallout: Sports Meets "The Culture War"
When Dart’s post went viral, it wasn't just about football anymore. It became a proxy battle for the larger culture war.
- The Critics: They argued that by praising Kirk’s "work," Dart was endorsing the more divisive elements of TPUSA’s platform.
- The Defenders: They pointed out that other NFL stars like Lamar Jackson and former players like Torrey Smith also expressed shock at Kirk’s death. To them, Dart was just a young guy reacting to a horrific act of violence in real-time.
There is a certain irony in it all. Charlie Kirk’s death actually happened during an event at Utah Valley University—Dart’s home state. That geographic connection likely made the news hit a little closer to home for the quarterback.
What People Get Wrong About This Story
A lot of folks tried to paint Jaxson Dart as a "political operative" for the right. That’s probably giving him too much credit—or blame, depending on your view.
If you look at Dart’s history, he’s mostly stayed in his lane. He’s a "baller," as his coaches used to say. But he’s also a product of his environment. Growing up in Utah and playing in the SEC, the brand of conservatism Charlie Kirk promoted isn't some "fringe" idea; it’s the air people breathe.
When Dart called the assassination "disgusting and sad," he was echoing a sentiment felt by millions, even if his specific praise for Kirk's "great things" rubbed half the country the wrong way.
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The Giants' Perspective
The New York Giants are a "legacy" franchise. They hate distractions. Usually, when a rookie QB starts trending for anything other than his completion percentage, the front office has a minor heart attack.
However, the 2025-2026 NFL landscape is different. We’ve seen players take stands on everything from social justice to vaccines. The "shut up and dribble" (or throw) era is basically dead. Dart didn't face any official discipline, mostly because you can't really punish a player for saying political violence is bad, even if the person they're mourning is a polarizing figure.
Moving Forward: The New Athlete Standard
The Jaxson Dart and Charlie Kirk situation is a textbook example of how the "modern athlete" functions. They have their own media platforms. They have their own revenue streams. They don't feel the need to hide their personal beliefs behind a PR wall as much as the previous generation did.
If you’re a fan, you’ve basically got two choices:
- Separate the art from the artist: Focus on the fact that Dart can thread a needle on a 20-yard out route and ignore his Instagram stories.
- Accept the "whole person": Realize that these guys are 22-year-old men with opinions, backgrounds, and biases just like everyone else.
Actionable Insights for Fans and Observers
If you’re following this story or others like it, here are a few things to keep in mind:
- Check the Date: Much of the intense "Jaxson Dart Charlie Kirk" search traffic stemmed from the specific window surrounding Kirk’s death in late 2025. Context matters.
- Diversify Your Feed: If you only saw the "Dart is a hero" side or the "Dart is a villain" side, you're missing the nuance. He’s a kid from Utah who played in Mississippi and now lives in New York. That’s a lot of conflicting cultural pressure.
- Watch the NIL Space: Expect more athletes to align with "lifestyle" and "values-based" brands. The days of athletes only endorsing Gatorade and Nike are over.
Ultimately, Jaxson Dart is going to be judged by his wins and losses on the field. But the "Charlie Kirk incident" will always be a footnote in his biography—a moment where the quarterback decided to show the world exactly where he stood, for better or worse.
To stay informed on how this impacts his career, keep a close eye on the Giants' locker room dynamics during the upcoming 2026 season. Pay attention to his upcoming NIL partnerships; they often signal which way an athlete's "brand" is leaning before they ever say a word into a microphone.