Jack Brewer, a former Minnesota Vikings and University of Minnesota football player, has publicly condemned Minnesota Governor Tim Walz following a tragic early-morning shooting that left one state lawmaker and her husband dead and another lawmaker and his wife seriously injured. Brewer, who played four seasons with the Golden Gophers before starting his NFL career with the Vikings in 2002, accused Walz of turning Minnesota into “the capital of chaos” and labeled him a weak and emasculated leader.
In an interview with Fox News Digital, Brewer expressed his heartbreak over the state’s decline under Walz’s leadership. “We need to start calling this what it is. These people have lost their minds. I am heartbroken to see one of the most amazing states in America completely turned around under Gov. Tim Walz. Minnesota is confused,” he said. “I played for the Vikings. I played for the Gophers. I lived in Minnesota for years. It was not like this. People were respectful. People could disagree and still have conversations. I still have a lot of family there, and it hurts to see what they’re living through.”
Brewer pointed to the liberal policies in Minneapolis and St. Paul as a driving force behind the state’s turmoil, singling out Walz and Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison as key figures responsible. “Minnesota has become the capital of chaos in America. That’s not right. It’s not a reflection of the true people of Minnesota. There are a lot of good people there. But the liberal hub around Minneapolis and St. Paul has taken over, and it’s dangerous,” he said.
The suspect in the shootings, identified as 57-year-old Vance Luther Boelter, is wanted in connection with the attacks, according to two sources familiar with the matter who spoke to The Associated Press. Boelter, who earned a Ph.D. in leadership from Cardinal Stritch University, was appointed to Minnesota’s Workforce Development Board by former Governor Mark Dayton in 2016 and reappointed by Walz in 2019 as a private sector representative. His term expired in 2023. Boelter allegedly posed as a police officer during the attacks, first shooting Sen. John Hoffman and his wife in their Champlin home, leaving them seriously injured, before moving on to the home of former Democratic House Speaker Melissa Hortman, where he allegedly killed her and her husband.
Governor Walz described the attack as a “politically motivated assassination” during a press conference but did not disclose that Boelter was his appointee. Walz’s office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
Brewer attributed the incident to the broader leadership failures of Walz and the Democratic Party, calling for a cultural shift in Minnesota. “On this Father’s Day, I wish Minnesota would focus on restoring fatherhood — protecting women, protecting families. Tim Walz is the example of a weak, emasculated leader. That is not what God made fathers to be. It’s pathetic,” he said. Brewer further criticized the Democratic Party for fostering division and intolerance, stating, “The Democrats have gone so far left that if you’re not a raging liberal, you’re under attack. They are forcing everyone in the party to conform.”
He concluded by framing the violence as a manifestation of deeper moral issues: “The root cause of all of this is evil. When you’re willing to attack, ridicule, riot, and protest anyone who believes something different — even in your own party — you’ve gone too far. Whenever you give Satan power, he shows his face. That’s what we’re witnessing now.”