Mets Announcer Gary Cohen Doesn't Address Criticizing Cubs' Matt Shaw For Attending Charlie Kirk Memorial

For no apparent reason, New York Mets broadcaster Gary Cohen took it upon himself recently to insert himself into another team's internal decision-making. He's taken heat for it, has totally ignored that…and has not reconsidered his commentary.

This past Sunday, Chicago Cubs third baseman Matt Shaw missed a game against the Cincinnati Reds to attend the memorial service for Charlie Kirk. Shaw was invited by Kirk's widow, Erika, and said he knew Charlie personally and considered him a friend. An eminently reasonable choice by Shaw, considering the tragic and horrific circumstances of Kirk's death. And of course, the scale of mourning for him and the memorial service.

For some reason, though, Cohen decided to criticize him for the choice to miss a single game for the death of a friend, a friend mourned by millions. 

"Shaw had Cubs world in a tizzy this weekend when he was not here for the Cubs game with the Reds — a game they lost (1-0) and in which his lack of presence was felt," Cohen said. "It was later revealed that he had been given permission to attend Charlie Kirk’s funeral.

"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," he added.

RELATED: Mets Announcer Rips Player For Attending Kirk Funeral … But His Own Absence Was Even Stranger

It was unquestionably an ill-informed statement to make. Not to mention Cohen ignoring that there are, of course, many things more important than baseball. Unsurprisingly, many fans were upset, demanding he apologize for his comments. 

On Thursday, he finally had his opportunity. He struck out looking.

New York Mets TV Announcer Gary Cohen. (Photo by Gregory Fisher/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Gary Cohen Chooses To Get Tight-Lipped All Of A Sudden

Ahead of the Mets-Cubs game on Thursday, Cohen essentially ignored the situation. He said nothing about it just before the start of the game.

Even when Shaw came up to the plate in the bottom of the third inning, Cohen acted as though he'd never said anything at all, focusing instead on highlights from the previous inning and Francisco Lindor. 

Cohen's only remarks about Shaw were to reference his three-hit day on Wednesday, and explain he's been better since returning from the minor leagues. 

Ultimately, Cohen did not mention his previous remarks for the remainder of the game either, leading to frustration and disappointment for some fans. 

Look, it's not like Cohen said something that required him to be fired or disciplined. But it was an insensitive and frankly dumb thing to say. And he could have addressed it by acknowledging that he went too far in his criticism and failed to consider the situation, importance, and personal relationship. 

New York Mets TV Announcer Gary Cohen.  (Photo by Marc Levine/New York Mets/MLB Photos via Getty Images)

While some on social media had speculated that Mets fans would "boycott" the team or demand "refunds" on tickets after Cohen's comments, the Mets have no home games remaining, making that unlikely, to say the least. 

Though it'd be hard to blame Shaw for boycotting Cohen moving forward.