September 2025 was a weird time for sports fans. You probably remember the headlines. Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk was killed at a college campus event in Utah, and suddenly, the NFL was thrust into the middle of a massive political firestorm. One minute you’re checking your fantasy roster, the next you’re watching a grainy photo of a political commentator on the jumbotron at Lambeau Field.
It was jarring.
While the league office initially pushed for a moment of silence during "Thursday Night Football," they eventually backed off. They told the individual clubs, "Hey, it’s your call for Sunday." This led to a league divided. Most teams went along with it, but a specific group of franchises stayed silent. If you've been wondering what teams didn't honor Charlie Kirk, you aren't alone. People are still arguing about it in the comments sections of every sports blog from here to Florida.
The Five NFL Teams That Stayed Silent
Most of the "no" votes came from the AFC North and the Midwest. While the Dallas Cowboys and New York Jets were putting up tributes, five specific teams chose not to hold a pre-game moment of silence or video memorial for Kirk on that Sunday, September 14.
The list of teams that didn't honor Charlie Kirk includes:
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- The Detroit Lions
- The Cincinnati Bengals
- The Baltimore Ravens
- The Indianapolis Colts
- The Minnesota Vikings
Later on Monday, the Houston Texans and Las Vegas Raiders also joined the list of teams that didn't provide a specific, named tribute to Kirk, though their situations were slightly different. The Texans, for example, opted for a broader moment of silence for "victims of violence" without naming anyone specific.
Why Did These Teams Pass?
Honestly, the reasons varied from "we already had plans" to "we just don't do that." It wasn't always a middle finger to the conservative movement; sometimes it was just bad timing.
Take the Indianapolis Colts. They were actually the most vocal about their decision. A team spokesperson told Newsweek that they already had a moment of silence locked in for Forrest Lucas. You know, the founder of Lucas Oil? The guy whose name is literally on the stadium? He had passed away in late August, and the team had already committed to honoring him that Sunday. Adding a second political figure to the mix apparently felt like too much for the pre-game window.
Then you've got the Minnesota Vikings. They were dealing with a local tragedy. Just two weeks prior, a shooting at Annunciation Church & School in south Minneapolis had rocked the community. The Vikings told reporters they were sticking to their plan to honor those local children and victims. They basically decided that local grief took priority over a national political figure.
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The Politics of the "No-Show"
The Detroit Lions and Cincinnati Bengals didn't offer much in the way of a formal explanation, which, as you can imagine, drove social media crazy. Critics pointed out that these same teams had been very public about social justice initiatives in 2020. They felt the silence was a double standard.
On the flip side, plenty of fans were relieved. "Keep politics out of football" is a phrase you hear a lot, usually right before someone brings up politics in football. For those fans, the five teams that didn't participate were the only ones doing it right. They just wanted to see Aidan Hutchinson sack someone without a side of political discourse.
A Quick Breakdown of the Tributes
To give you an idea of how split the league was, look at how the other teams handled it. It wasn't a total boycott.
- The New York Jets: Despite being in a "blue" area, they went all-in with a video tribute.
- The Pittsburgh Steelers: They didn't do a moment of silence, but they flew flags at half-staff. They basically took a middle-of-the-road approach.
- The New Orleans Saints: They held the silence, but reports from inside the stadium said the crowd response was... mixed. Some boos were definitely audible.
- The Kansas City Chiefs: They lumped Kirk into a general 9/11 remembrance and a "victims of violence" tribute.
The Baseball Outlier: The Yankees and Cubs
It wasn't just the NFL. The New York Yankees were actually one of the first major teams to jump in, honoring Kirk on Wednesday night against the Detroit Tigers. It caught everyone off guard. Even the Chicago Cubs—Kirk was a massive Chicago sports fan—held a "moment of reflection."
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But the fact that some teams chose to abstain created a permanent rift in the "sports-as-unity" narrative. By the time the Las Vegas Raiders kicked off on Monday night without a mention of Kirk, the narrative was already set: you were either a "tribute team" or part of the "silent five."
What This Means for the Future of Sports Tributes
This whole saga changed the playbook. Teams are now terrified of the pre-game window. If you honor one person, you're expected to honor everyone. If you stay silent, you're accused of taking a side.
Most front offices are now moving toward "generalized" tributes. You’ll see more moments for "all victims of violence" or "our community" rather than naming specific political figures. It's the "safe" route. The days of a team owner like Jerry Jones or the Steinbrenner family making a solo call to honor a polarizing figure might be sunsetting because the PR headache is just too massive.
If you're looking to see how your specific team handled the situation, you should check their official press archives from mid-September 2025. Most of the teams that didn't honor Charlie Kirk have kept their statements short or haven't commented further, hoping the news cycle eventually buries the controversy.
Next steps for you: If you're interested in how sports and politics continue to overlap, keep an eye on the upcoming NFL owners' meetings. There is a quiet push among several franchises to create a standardized "League-Wide Remembrance Policy" to prevent this kind of team-by-team fragmentation in the future. Check the sports business journals for updates on that policy shift.