Ex-NY Jet Slams NJ Borough Over Flag Raising Decision

MORRIS COUNTY, NJ — A former New York Jet and Morris County resident has criticized his town over its decision not to raise flags at half-mast in honor of the recently assassinated Charlie Kirk.

Nick Mangold is a retired center for the New York Jets and a seven-time Pro Bowl selection. He was originally from Ohio, but now lives in Madison and coaches football at Delbarton School in Morristown.

On Saturday, Mangold wrote on X that he was “disgusted” over Madison’s decision not to fly its American flag at half mast, going against President Donald Trump’s proclamation.

“I’m disgusted and saddened by my town @MadisonNJ_gov and my state @NJGov. This is wrong on so many levels @GovMurphy @RepSherrill as an American husband and father was assassinated for expressing his right to free speech,” the former football player wrote.

Mangold tagged Madison Borough, the state, Governor Phil Murphy, Democratic Gubernatorial Candidate Mikie Sherrill, GOP Gubernatorial Candidate Jack Ciattarelli, Donald Trump Jr., and FOX News reporter Jesse Watters in the post. He also added a photo of a flag at full-mast, and a link to a New York Post article that highlights NJ and NY towns that were not following the president’s proclamation.

Madison representatives recently responded to several complaints regarding their decision. Officials posted that the borough follows the state’s NJ Flag Status, which was “All Flags Full-Staff” over the weekend.

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