Despite not holding a moment of silence for slain political commentator Charlie Kirk during their Week 2 one-point win over the Broncos, the Indianapolis Colts provided an explanation for this on Sunday.
“For Week 2, the Colts already had a moment of silence planned for Forrest Lucas, founder of Lucas Oil and namesake of our home at Lucas Oil Stadium,” a spokesperson for the Colts told Newsweek. “[Lucas] passed away in late August. A few days after his passing, we announced that we would honor him before and during our Week 2 game as he was a monumental business and community leader and a dear friend to our city, state, and country.”
A friend and supporter of President Donald Trump, Kirk was shot and killed Sept. 10 at a Utah college event in what Gov. Spencer Cox called a political assassination carried out from a rooftop.
The NFL left the decision to honor Kirk up to its teams.
Even though many conservative-leaning fans have been among the most vocal about keeping politics out of sports, they have applauded moves to honor Kirk, whom critics see as divisive, racist and xenophobic.
Kirk became recognized as one of the most prominent voices of the MAGA movement, and his death has served as a rallying cry for the Republican Party.