Donald Trump Attacks NFL and NBA
Shortly after making controversial comments about the NFL, President Donald Trump moved on to the NBA.
On Saturday morning he tweeted that the Golden State Warriors--the 2017 NBA Champions--are no longer invited to the White House. It’s not clear whether his statement is referring to the entire team or just Warriors guard Stephen Curry.
“Going to the White House is considered a great honor for a championship team.Stephen Curry is hesitating,therefore invitation is withdrawn!” he wrote.
Trump's comments come less than 24 hours after Curry, two-time MVP, said he doesn’t have any intention to go to the White House and hopes his team can make a statement.
“I don’t want to go. . .my beliefs stay the same,” Curry told reporters during a news conference.
“By acting and not going, hopefully that will inspire some change when it comes to what we tolerate in this country, what is accepted and what we turn a blind eye toward,” Curry said when asked what declining the visit would mean, according to Anthony Slater, who covers the Warriors for The Athletic.
Many have took to Twitter to support Curry’s decision.
Curry isn’t the first player on the Warriors to speak out against the visit, which is a tradition by U.S champion teams that dates back to at least 1865. In August, his teammate, Kevin Durant, said he would skip it too.
"I don't agree with what he agrees with, so my voice is going to be heard by not doing that," Durant told ESPN. "That's just me personally, but if I know my guys well enough, they'll all agree with me."
Earlier in the year, New England Patriot's Tom Brady skipped the celebratory White House visit, citing 'personal family matters,' but Trump did not comment on Brady's decision.
On Friday night, Trump also criticized NFL players who choose to protest by sitting during the playing of the national anthem. During the political rally in Huntsville, Alabama to campaign for Sen. Luther Strange (R-Ala.), he said: "Wouldn't you love to see one of these NFL owners, when somebody disrespects our flag, to say, 'Get that son of a b---- off the field right now. Out. He's fired! He's fired!"
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell released a statement on Saturday morning responding to Trump’s comments.
“The NFL and our players are at our best when we help create a sense of unity in our country and our culture. There is no better example than the amazing response from our clubs and players to the terrible natural disasters we've experienced over the last month. Divisive comments like these demonstrate an unfortunate lack of respect for the NFL, our great game and all of our players, and a failure to understand the overwhelming force for good our clubs and players represent in our communities.”
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