It’s pretty rare for major pop culture figures to take a stand against an angry left-wing mob. But Major League Baseball star Matt Shaw appears to have done just that.

On Tuesday, the Chicago Cubs infielder stood by his decision to miss his team’s Sunday matchup against the Cincinnati Reds to attend the memorial of his friend, slain conservative thought leader Charlie Kirk. The Turning Point USA founder was assassinated, allegedly by a pro-trans radical, while speaking at a Utah-based university on Sept. 10.

In his remarks to reporters, Shaw disclosed that he and Kirk became friends at the apartment complex where he was living in Arizona and that the two bonded over their shared faith. His decision to miss Sunday’s game to attend Kirk’s memorial was approved by the Cubs organization and supported by his teammates, he said.

Charlie was “someone who was one of the biggest Cubs fans I ever met, and he texted me after every game, ‘Great win for the Cubbies,’ and he was super, super supportive of us,” Shaw said. He was “obviously someone who was very faithful, so we connected on that front as well.”

Shaw noted that he was invited to the funeral by Kirk’s wife, Erika, and that he “felt as though it was something that was really important for [him] to do.” When pressed by a reporter about whether he was concerned about potential “backlash” to his decision, Shaw brushed such worries aside.

“I’m not concerned at all, no. My connection with Charlie was through our faith, and that’s something that drives me every day. That’s the reason why I’m able to do what I do every day, and that’s something I’m extremely thankful for,” Shaw said. “I know that without my faith and without the many blessings I’ve been given in my life that I wouldn’t be here able to talk to you guys, able to help this team eventually go and win championships. So, that’s something I feel really, really blessed about.”

“Whatever backlash comes is OK. I feel strong about my faith and that what was meant to be happened,” he added.

The Cubs star later went on to discuss the outpouring of faith displayed at Kirk’s memorial service. The commemoration saw incredible testimony from Erika and America’s leading figures about the power of the gospel and salvation through Christ.

“I had never been in any experience like that where people of all different backgrounds were talking about how much their faith meant to them,” Shaw said. “After something that was really horrible happening, the amount of joy that was in that room, with everyone coming together and realizing how important their faith was to each and every person that was in there, I think just is so, so powerful because nobody was angry. Everyone was really joyful of how this has brought everybody together, and I think that was really powerful.”

“It’s something that — that feeling — that I can hopefully bring to other people,” he added.

Shawn Fleetwood is a staff writer for The Federalist and a graduate of the University of Mary Washington. He previously served as a state content writer for Convention of States Action and his work has been featured in numerous outlets, including RealClearPolitics, RealClearHealth, and Conservative Review. Follow him on Twitter @ShawnFleetwood