Former Jets Star Frustrated by New Jersey’s Failure to Follow Half-Staff Flag Order for Charlie Kirk

Former center for the New York Jets Nick Mangold is voicing his frustration with the New Jersey town he resides in, after it failed to fly the American flag at half-staff in honor of Charlie Kirk.

In a social media post over the weekend, the 41-year-old took aim at the town of Madison and its elected officials for defying the directive put in place by President Donald Trump.

“I’m disgusted and saddened by my town @MadisonNJ_gov and my state @NJGov,” the former lineman wrote on X.

“This is wrong on so many levels … as an American husband and father was assassinated for expressing his right to free speech.”

Mangold followed up with a photo and accompanied timestamps of a local government building in town, where he noticed the flag pole on Sept. 13.

The presidential proclamation was issued on Sept. 10 and ordered all flags be flown at half-staff at the White House, public buildings, grounds, military posts, and naval stations through Sept. 14.

The move was made as a “mark of respect for the memory of Charlie Kirk,” after the conservative and political commentator was shot and killed during an event at Utah Valley University on Sept. 10.

Mangold, who played for the Jets for 11 seasons from 2006 to 2016, went on to tag Donald Trump Jr. and the two gubernatorial candidates in the post, who are vying to succeed New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, a Democrat.

In response, the Borough of Madison referred to its state flag policy and what the status was at the time the proclamation was made.

“Over the weekend, we received questions about the lowering of the American flag in the borough,” read the statement posted to X.

“Madison’s policy is to follow the State of New Jersey’s daily flag status. Over the weekend, the status was ‘full staff.'”

“The Borough of Madison condemns all forms of political violence and rejects hate in every form,” the statement continued. “We remain committed to bringing people together around our shared values.”

Flags in both New Jersey and New York remained at “full staff,” while New York plans to direct that flags be lowered on the day of Kirk’s funeral, scheduled for Sept. 21 at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona.

Meanwhile, the Jets, ahead of their game against the Buffalo Bills, were among eight other NFL teams that paid tribute to Kirk with a moment of silence or special recognition during games.

“These tributes reflect the widespread admiration for Kirk’s dedication to inspiring the next generation of American Patriots,” The White House wrote in a press release. “We commend these organizations for honoring a figure who championed the values that unite us all, and we join the nation in celebrating his legacy.”

Mangold was a first-round pick by the Jets—who play home games at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey—during the 2006 NFL draft.

Considered one of the best players in franchise history, he was a seven-time Pro Bowler, three-time All-Pro, and inductee into the Jets Ring of Honor in 2022.