(Warning: Story contains coarse language)

Winnipeg Jets captain and Plymouth, Minn., native Blake Wheeler tweeted his displeasure with President Donald Trump over the weekend and explained himself further Monday, identifying the cause as Trump's comments about NFL players and saying he'd support a teammate who protested during the national anthem.

"Some of the language that (Trump) used referencing NFL players, I think that was the last straw for a lot of guys, whichever way they feel about it," Wheeler told reporters.

Trump called for NFL owners to fire players who protest during the national anthem, referring to such a player as a "son of a bitch" on Friday. A day later, he took back a White House invite to the NBA champion Golden State Warriors because Steph Curry said he didn't want to go; however, the team had never received an official invitation.

The fact that Trump brought professional athletes into the thick of things moved Wheeler.

"I think crossing over into the sports world, it hits home a little more," Wheeler said. "I think a lot of people, similar to my wife and I, it has been kind of a slow boil. The rhetoric over and over, he has just kind of gone a little too far too many times. It just felt right to take a stance."

When asked how he'd react if one of his teammates took a knee during the anthem, Wheeler says they would have his full support.

"I'm absolutely for the first amendment. I'm a big believer that that's what makes America a special place is you're allowed to stand up for what you believe in," Wheeler said. "With just cause, if somebody were electing to do that, they would 100 percent have my support.

"Even if I don't necessarily agree with why they do it it's their right to feel that way. It's their right to behave that way. If I didn't agree with it, I would absolutely sit down and have a coffee and talk about it, try to understand why they feel that way, and maybe you become a little more sympathetic to different people."

Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

(Warning: Story contains coarse language)

Winnipeg Jets captain and Plymouth, Minn., native Blake Wheeler tweeted his displeasure with President Donald Trump over the weekend and explained himself further Monday, identifying the cause as Trump's comments about NFL players and saying he'd support a teammate who protested during the national anthem.

"Some of the language that (Trump) used referencing NFL players, I think that was the last straw for a lot of guys, whichever way they feel about it," Wheeler told reporters.

Trump called for NFL owners to fire players who protest during the national anthem, referring to such a player as a "son of a bitch" on Friday. A day later, he took back a White House invite to the NBA champion Golden State Warriors because Steph Curry said he didn't want to go; however, the team had never received an official invitation.

The fact that Trump brought professional athletes into the thick of things moved Wheeler.

"I think crossing over into the sports world, it hits home a little more," Wheeler said. "I think a lot of people, similar to my wife and I, it has been kind of a slow boil. The rhetoric over and over, he has just kind of gone a little too far too many times. It just felt right to take a stance."

When asked how he'd react if one of his teammates took a knee during the anthem, Wheeler says they would have his full support.

"I'm absolutely for the first amendment. I'm a big believer that that's what makes America a special place is you're allowed to stand up for what you believe in," Wheeler said. "With just cause, if somebody were electing to do that, they would 100 percent have my support.

"Even if I don't necessarily agree with why they do it it's their right to feel that way. It's their right to behave that way. If I didn't agree with it, I would absolutely sit down and have a coffee and talk about it, try to understand why they feel that way, and maybe you become a little more sympathetic to different people."

Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.