The Kansas City Chiefs held a moment of silence before their Sunday game against the Philadelphia Eagles to honor Charlie Kirk and the victims of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
The public address announcer at Arrowhead Stadium asked fans to observe a moment to recognize both Kirk, a far-right political commentator who was shot and killed at an event at Utah Valley University on Wednesday, and those killed in the attacks 24 years ago. The tribute at Kansas City came after the NFL required a moment of silence for Kirk at Thursday’s "Thursday Night Football" game involving the Green Bay Packers and the Washington Commanders and then left decisions about Sunday observances to individual clubs.
The league told ProFootballTalk earlier in the week that it had instructed the Packers to observe a silence on Thursday but that clubs were free to determine whether to hold similar tributes for their Sunday games. "Last night's moment was the league's decision. It's up to the clubs for this Sunday's games," the NFL said in a statement Friday.
In its statement, the NFL described a long history of in-stadium and on-air moments of silence and other tributes following events that rise to a national level or that affect particular communities. The league cited past instances including tributes following school shootings, the 2018 attack at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh, the October 2023 attacks in Israel, and responses to major weather incidents such as hurricanes and wildfires. The statement also noted tributes in the NFL family for recently deceased players or personnel, and past acknowledgments of high-profile non-football deaths, including those of Kobe Bryant and Pro Football Hall of Famer Chris Doleman.
Several other NFL teams held moments of silence for Kirk on Sunday. The Tennessee Titans, Miami Dolphins, New York Jets and New Orleans Saints were among the clubs that observed in-stadium pauses. The NFL also noted other recent league observances, pointing to tributes performed this calendar year such as the regular pregame performance of "Lift Every Voice and Sing," which the league began using after the murder of George Floyd and related events in 2020, and other honors recognizing victims of attacks and disasters.
Kirk was shot and killed during an on-campus event at Utah Valley University on Wednesday; authorities and university officials have said an investigation is ongoing. The NFL's initial instruction to the Packers for Thursday night's game and its subsequent delegation of decisions to individual clubs reflect the league's approach of balancing a coordinated response with deference to teams' discretion over tributes at their own venues.
League officials and team representatives did not immediately provide further comment beyond the Friday statement. Public reactions to teams' decisions to observe moments of silence were expressed on social media and in broadcast coverage during the weekend games.
The Chiefs, who are the defending AFC champions, faced the Eagles in a game that also included traditional pregame acknowledgments of national events and the 24th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks. The decisions by several clubs to honor Kirk alongside other observances underscore the NFL's practice of responding to events it deems to have national significance while permitting teams to make choices tailored to their communities and game-day programming.