The captain of the Winnipeg Jets has a bone to pick.
Like many pro athletes, Blake Wheeler took to Twitter on Saturday to voice his frustration with President Donald Trump after he revoked a White House invite to the NBA champion Golden State Warriors.
The invitation was pulled after Warriors point guard Steph Curry made it known he was not interested in visiting the White House, a tradition reserved for championship teams of the big four leagues.
But if Curry doesn't want to come, he is no longer welcome, Trump said.
That didn't sit well with Wheeler, a native of Plymouth, Minn, who prior to joining the Jets spent time in Atlanta and Boston:
It's the First Amendment to our Constitution. The First one!!
— Blake Wheeler (@BiggieFunke) September 23, 2017
Regardless of how it makes you feel individually, these are literally the principles the US was founded on. Come on, Mr. President
— Blake Wheeler (@BiggieFunke) September 23, 2017
While the Warriors won't be heading to Pennsylvania Avenue, the NHL's most recent champion, the Pittsburgh Penguins, have already made it known that they'd be happy to attend, if invited.
"The Pittsburgh Penguins would never turn down a visit to the White House and, if invited, we would go as a team," team president David Morehouse said in June.
Following the Bruins' Stanley Cup championship in 2011, former goaltender Tim Thomas took a pass on a trip to the White House - then home to the administration of Barack Obama - citing political differences with both parties.
"...Today I exercised my right as a free citizen, and did not visit the White House," Thomas said in 2012. "This was not about politics or party, as in my opinion both parties are responsible for the situation we are in as a country."
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