The Giants are not expected to have a pregame tribute for Charlie Kirk before Sunday night’s home opener against the Chiefs, NJ Advance Media has learned.
Kirk, a polarizing right-wing political activist, was assassinated Wednesday in Utah. He was 31.
In the wake of his murder, some NFL teams — like the Jets — held pregame tributes this past weekend, while others did not.
The Giants (0-2) lost Sunday at the Cowboys, who paid tribute to Kirk before the game.
So why are the Giants — who opened in Washington and then in Dallas — likely not holding a pregame tribute or moment of silence for Kirk?
The decision largely stems from the duration of time that will have passed since his death, according to a person with knowledge of the plans. It is unclear if the Giants would have done something last week if they played at home. But for the Giants, a 9/11 pregame tribute this past Sunday would have taken precedence over a Kirk tribute.
The Jets, before Sunday’s home loss to the Bills, held a moment of silence for 9/11, in addition to their Kirk tribute.
Prior to Sunday night’s nationally televised game against the Chiefs, the Giants also are not expected to do a 9/11 tribute, in keeping with the way they have handled things in the past when they do not play at home on the weekend after 9/11.
So, barring an unexpected development, there will be no tributes Sunday night at MetLife Stadium before Chiefs-Giants at 8:20 p.m. ET (NBC).
This past weekend, the Packers — at the direction of the NFL — held a moment of silence for Kirk. The league left the decision for the rest of the weekend up to home teams.
In Week 2, these eight home teams did not have a Kirk-specific pregame tribute: Steelers, Lions, Ravens, Bengals, Colts, Vikings, Texans and Raiders.
These eight teams did specifically acknowledge Kirk: Titans, Jets, Cowboys, Saints, Dolphins, Cardinals, Packers and Chiefs.
In addition to the Giants, these 12 teams play at home this weekend for the first time since Kirk’s murder: Bills, Patriots, Buccaneers, Commanders, Eagles, Panthers, Jaguars, Browns, Chargers, Seahawks, 49ers and Bears.
And these three teams are on the road for a second straight week: Rams, Falcons and Broncos.
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