Mets Announcer Gary Cohen Sparks Controversy With Matt Shaw Criticism

Usa today news

3 days ago

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,â¦ pic.twitter.com/D5av7DMJyg

— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) September 24, 2025

âI donât 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,â 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.

“I think itâs unprecedented, at least from my experience as a player,” Zeile said.

Both Zeile and Cohen also questioned the Cubs for not giving information about Shaw’s absence.

“I thought it was telling that the reason they didnât tell anybody and that they had to play a man short was that the situation did not qualify for baseballâs bereavement list. â¦ think that in and of itself gives you a clue as to how it was received by a lot of people,” Cohen said.

Gary Cohen’s Criticism Divides Social Media

Many people praised Cohen for his take, agreeing that it was an odd and potentially inappropriate decision for Shaw to leave the team. But others criticized him, saying Shaw had a right to attend the memorial service for his friend.

“Honestly, Gary Cohen should be taken off the air for this,” one person shared in a post on X. “There is NOTHING wrong with attending the funeral of your friend who was murdered, especially if his widow asks you to attend.”

“Gary Cohen is a clown,” wrote another. “A man went to his friendâs funeral. Seems pretty important to me, Gary.”

Shaw addressed the criticism this week, saying he ran the decision by his teammates before leaving the team.

“All the veteran players that I talked to and really the whole team having their support was really important to me,” Shaw said.

The rookie added that he and Kirk spoke often, with the conservative media figure regularly texting him after games and congratulating him on wins.

Shaw also pushed back on assertions that his absence had a political motivation, saying he just wanted to pay tribute to his late friend.

“Iâm not concerned at all, no,” he said. “My connection with Charlie was through our faith. Thatâs something that drives me every day. Thatâs the reason why Iâm able to do what I do every day and thatâs something Iâm extremely thankful for.”

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