It seems the internet is showing its darkest side after all. On Wednesday, September 10, after news broke that conservative commentator Charlie Kirk had been shot and killed at Utah Valley College, some people online celebrated his death. That reaction was not at all acceptable to former NFL star Dez Bryant.
Bryant, a three-time Pro Bowler and one of the biggest names to wear a Dallas Cowboys jersey in the 2010s, jumped straight into the conversation. He called out those cheering Kirk’s death and was not shy from being clear on this. “Seeing people who are excited about Charlie Kirk dying are (messed) up human beings…Sending love to his family,” Bryant posted on X. He later added, “Charlie Kirk.. wow.”
Kirk, 31, left behind his wife Erika and two children. A gunman shot him in the neck during a speaking event at Utah Valley College. Doctors rushed him to a hospital, but he didn’t survive. The Illinois-born activist built one of the biggest conservative platforms in the country, with four million YouTube subscribers and a constant presence on college campuses.
Tributes Pour In For Charlie Kirk From Sports And Beyond
Bryant wasn’t the only athlete to speak up for Kirk. Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker wrote on X, “Thank you for your strong witness for Christ @charliekirk11. Thank you for pursuing truth and leading your family as a husband and father. Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord.”
Robert Griffin III also joined in and was quite disappointed with this kind of open shooting and celebrating it. “The Charlie Kirk Shooting was disturbing, disgusting and wrong. Praying for Charlie Kirk’s wife, kids and family. It’s okay to disagree with someone’s political views, but celebrating his death makes you a despicable human.” he posted for Kirk.
Tributes stretched beyond football. The New York Yankees held a moment of silence before their game on Wednesday night. “Kirk founded the youth activist group ‘Turning Point USA’ and had become a fixture on college campuses. Charlie Kirk, a husband and father of two children, was 31 years old,” the team announced to fans in the stadium.
Even President Donald Trump showed his tribute. On Truth Social, he wrote, “The Great, and even Legendary, Charlie Kirk, is dead. No one understood or had the Heart of the Youth in the United States of America better than Charlie…Charlie, we love you!” Trump also ordered flags across the nation lowered to half-mast until Sunday evening.
For Dez Bryant, the online reaction wasn’t about politics. It was about basic humanity. And in his eyes, celebrating a young father’s death crossed a line no one should ever cross.
