Chicago radio personality Michael Baisden went on record to voice his displeasure with NFL tributes to Charlie Kirk over the weekend.
Kirk, a 31-year-old political commentator, was murdered at a university event in Utah on Sept. 10, leaving his wife, Erika, and two children behind.
The majority of home NFL teams honored Kirk with a moment of silence on Sunday, with the Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals, Detroit Lions, Indianapolis Colts, and Minnesota Vikings being the only teams that did not, according to the New York Post. Apparently, this was not enough for Baisden.
‘Seeing it play out in real time is disgusting.’
Baisden’s career in media has garnered him a massive following, including nearly four million followers on Facebook and about 530,000 on Instagram. On both pages, Baisden shared the following message.
“How do you feel about NFL teams honoring Charlie Kirk? Talk about a slap in the face of black players!” he wrote, alongside an image from AT&T Stadium that honored Kirk.
Baisden received a lot of support on his Instagram page, with many commentators referring to disgraced NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who kneeled during the national anthem in 2017.
“I stopped watching football when kneeling was a reprimanded offense,” said one reader with a black-power fist as the display picture.
“No surprise there at all. The NFL support[s] racism and has for some time now,” a bakery account wrote.
Like most, though, actual football players did not see Kirk as a racially divisive figure, nor did they see his murder as a cause for celebration or criticism.
RELATED: Carolina Panthers fire employee for showing his true colors after Charlie Kirk’s death
“You don’t have to agree with Charlie Kirk or his views, but taking someone’s life over differences is never justified,” said Joshua Hines-Allen, defensive end for the Jacksonville Jaguars. “The whole situation is tragic. Prayers and condolences to his family and loved ones,” he wrote on X.
Dallas’ own iconic former wide receiver Dez Bryant admitted on X that he was not familiar with Kirk when fans started asking him if posts he was making were in relation to the shooting. When one reader tried to say Bryant was supporting racism, Bryant rebuffed the claim and said, “Nobody deserves to die the way [that] man died.”
Bryant later added, “Seeing people who are excited about Charlie Kirk dying are f**ked up human beings. … Sending love to his family.”
Two-time Super Bowl winner and former Ravens wide receiver Torrey Smith voiced a similar sentiment on X, saying, “Celebrating the death of someone you don’t share the same beliefs as is wild.”
“Seeing it play out in real time is disgusting,” the broadcaster wrote; Ravens star quarterback Lamar Jackson shared the post.
RELATED: New York Yankees waste no time before honoring Charlie Kirk
Three-time Super Bowl winner Julian Edelman, a former New England Patriots wide receiver, wrote on X that he is praying for the Kirk family.
“Violence like this is never acceptable,” Edelman added.
Even polarizing announcer and former Washington Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III said he was disgusted by what he was seeing online.
“Celebrating his death makes you a despicable human,” Griffin wrote. Griffin also asked for prayers for Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska, the woman who was murdered on a train in Charlotte.
Baisden now hosts a podcast under his own name while operating a dating and travel website called Mingle City.
The site boasts that Baisden was credited by former President Barack Obama’s campaign with “being instrumental in his election and re-election,” while also claiming Baisden was “the first and loudest national voice to sound the alarm on the Trayvon Martin killing!”
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