Dan Lanning Reveals Why He Made Comments In Wake Of Charlie Kirk Assassination

Oregon Ducks coach Dan Lanning made headlines on Saturday night for his passionate comments on the state of our climate in the wake of the Charlie Kirk assassination, after he was asked about it in his post game press conference.

For more than three minutes, Lanning laid out his thoughts on how the United States could learn a lot from how his locker room is unified despite massive differences in background, religion and race. The statement went viral on social media.

Monday morning, at 6 a.m. PT, Barstool Sports' Dave Portnoy asked Lanning what went into his decision to address the topic on 'Wake Up Barstool.'

Oregon Ducks Dan Lanning charlie kirk assassination Northwestern Wildcats Dante Moore Noah Whittington guns shooting politics — Nov 18, 2023; Tempe, Arizona, USA; Oregon Ducks head coach Dan Lanning against the Arizona State Sun Devils at Mountain America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Lanning Clarifies His Comments

Portnoy: "What went into you deciding to make a public statement about (Charlie Kirk)?"

Lanning: "Yeah, it helped that there was a question about the climate. But I've spoken on stuff like this before, and it probably hasn't garnered the attention before. After the Utah game in 2022, we were dealing with school shootings in the world, and it just makes me sick. And I feel like when you have an opportunity and you have a voice - shame on you if you don't use it."

"I do think there's a lot that people can learn from our locker room. Whether it's an assassination attempt, whether it's a school shooting, we've got a problem with just the respect of human life in this world. It bothers me. Especially as a guy with three young kids."

"It's just a little nervewracking that we just don't respect human life, regardless of who it is. It's wrong. Murder's wrong in every way. I think when you get a chance to speak on it, you need to. The political climate, I'm not going to hop into politics, but we don't work together. And so we're not solving a lot of problems. It'd be great if we started to work together and really start to solve some problems."

The major takeaway is, Lanning has not shied away from tackling these types of topics before and feels a responsibility to use his platform to speak up.

Sep 6, 2025; Eugene, Oregon, USA; Oregon Ducks head coach Dan Lanning greets fans before a game against the Oklahoma State Cowboys at Autzen Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images | Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images

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Lanning's Previous Thoughts On The State of Our Climate in the Wake of the Charlie Kirk Assassination

Here are Lanning's previous comments from Saturday night after the Ducks beat Northwestern.

Matt Prehm Of 247Sports: "There's been a lot going on in the country last week. Have you addressed that with your team?"

"I think the U.S. could learn a lot from our locker room; I think the people in this world can learn a lot from our locker room. You walk in that locker room, you got guys of different races, guys of different backgrounds, different religions, and you got a team that loves each other. Tons of differences — where they come from, what they deal with, and ultimately you got a team that loves each other, and I think we’re missing some of that in our country." said Lanning.

Oregon Head Coach Dan Lanning during the game against Oklahoma State. | Chris Pietsch/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

"I recently found out Charlie Kirk was an Oregon fan, right? I didn't know that. I hurt for his wife, Erika and their kids. That sort of evil should never exist in our country, and that's what it is - evil," Lanning continued. "I remember having to explain that to my family, right? I remember sitting down my kids and explaining what happened, and they're talking about people talking about it at school. And it's just sad, right?"

"But it's just as sad, you know, every day it seems like we deal with some sort of violence that's going on our country, whether it's you know, school kids in Colorado or kids in Minnesota at churches. I mean, life matters, you know, and I think we've lost sight of that. But I just wish, I wish the world could learn a little bit of something from our locker room, because we got a bunch of people with differences, and what you got in there is a bunch people there," he said.

His full statement is here.