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New York Mets announcer Gary Cohen is considered one of the best in the business, but even his careful remarks about Chicago Cubs rookie Matt Shaw skipping a game to attend Charlie Kirk’s memorial service couldn’t escape controversy.
Shaw had missed a game earlier this week — with his team’s permission — to attend the service for his friend and conservative commentator. Cohen questioned why Shaw would leave the team in the middle of a tight playoff race, sparking some strong debate.
Gary Cohen Calls Shaw’s Decision ‘Weird’
Cohen addressed Shaw’s absence during Tuesday’s game between the Mets and Cubs, questioning whether it was appropriate for the rookie to leave his team at such a critical juncture of the season.
Gary Cohen wasn’t sold on the way the Cubs and Matt Shaw handled his absence to attend Charlie Kirk’s memorial.
“I don’t want to talk about any of the politics of it, but the thought of leaving your team in the middle of a race for any reason other than a family emergency,… pic.twitter.com/D5av7DMJyg
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“I don’t want to talk about any of the politics of it, but the thought of leaving your team in the middle of a race for any reason other than a family emergency, really strikes me as weird,” Cohen said.
Former Mets catcher turned commentator Todd Zeile, replacing Keith Hernandez in the booth for Tuesday’s game, said he can’t think of a time that a player missed a game in that manner.
Nathan Dougherty is a sports reporter covering the NFL for Heavy.com, with a focus on the Buffalo Bills, Detroit Lions and Miami Dolphins. Previously he wrote for the Rochester Business Journal and served as the assistant editor of athletic trade magazines Coaching Management, Athletic Management and Training & Conditioning. He is based out of Rochester, New York, and loves everything football. More about Nathan Dougherty
