Trump fumes at Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors and NFL protests

Donald Trump has extended his war of words with some of his country’s professional sports players.

Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry.

President Donald Trump extended an unusual clash with the professional sports world yesterday by rescinding a White House invitation for the Golden State Warriors, a move that followed his sharp criticism of the National Football League hours earlier.

“Going to the White House is considered a great honour for a championship team. Stephen Curry is hesitating, therefore invitation is withdrawn!” President Trump tweeted following a comment the Warriors guard made on Friday.

It wasn’t clear if the President was disinviting the whole team or just Curry. The White House didn’t respond to a request for clarification on the tweet. However, the Warriors issued a statement saying that while the team had planned to meet on Saturday morning to discuss a potential visit, “we accept that Mr Trump has made it clear that we are not invited”.

“We believe there is nothing more American than our citizens having the right to express themselves freely on matters important to them,” the team said. “We’re disappointed that we did not have an opportunity during this process to share our views or have open dialogue on issues impacting our communities that we felt would be important to raise.”

The team said they would still travel to Washington DC, and use the visit to promote “equality, ­diversity and inclusion”.

Speaking at the Warriors’ media day on Friday, Curry had said he didn’t want to visit the White House. “By acting and not going,” the guard said, “hopefully that will inspire some change for what we tolerate in this country.”

Trump’s tweet follows a year in which many coaches and players across the National Basketball Association were outspoken in their opposition to the President. That includes Curry and Kevin Durant, Curry’s teammate on the NBA champion team, who had previously said he wouldn’t visit the White House because he doesn’t respect Trump.

On Friday night, Trump had hit some of the most contentious topics about football in a stump speech in Alabama for sitting Republican Senator Luther Strange.

“Luther and I and everyone in this arena tonight are unified by the same, great American values. We’re proud of our country, we ­respect our flag,” Trump said to wild applause, going on to criticise NFL players who kneel for the ­national anthem in protest.

“Wouldn’t you love to see one of these NFL owners, when somebody disrespects our flag, to say, ‘Get that son of a bitch off the field right now. He’s fired. He’s fired!’ Wouldn’t you love it?” he asked the audience, prompting chants of “USA! USA!”

“You know, some owner’s going to do that. He’s going to say, ‘That guy that disrespects our flag, he’s fired.’ And that owner, they don’t know it, they don’t know it — they’re friends of mine, many of them — they don’t know it, they’ll be the most popular person for a week, they’ll be the most popular person in this country, because that’s a total disrespect of our heritage, that’s a total disrespect of everything we stand for,” Trump said.

By early yesterday, several owners and the NFL commissioner had criticised the remarks, some also defending players who kneel in protest.

“Our country needs unifying leadership right now, not more divisiveness,” Stephen Ross, the owner of the Miami Dolphins, said in a statement.

“I know our players who kneeled for the anthem and these are smart young men of character who want to make our world a better place for everyone.”

The NFL is typically considered to be a conservative institution, and many owners have avoided direct conflict with Washington, making the statements unusual.

“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,” NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said in a statement.

Trump fired back Saturday evening, tweeting: “Roger Goodell of NFL just put out a statement trying to justify the total disrespect certain players show to our country. Tell them to stand!”

The comments follow protests that began with then-San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick last year and have continued with other players into the early weeks of this NFL season. Kaepernick drew national attention for what has become know as “taking a knee” during the playing of The Star-Spangled Banner before games and said it was to draw attention to racial injustice in the country.

This year, Kaepernick remains unsigned, which many have attributed to his outspoken political views.

The protests Kaepernick ignited have continued throughout the league with several players taking a knee, while others have raised fists or employed other means to show common cause.

Trump also jabbed the NFL for a slump in television ratings, saying the league’s efforts to make the game safer by penalising hard hits was a factor, alongside protests and his own popularity.

Many players also tweeted ­either criticisms of Trump or support of their fellow players.

DeMaurice Smith, executive director of the NFL Players Association, issued a statement saying the organisation would support “the constitutional rights of our players as well as their safety as men who compete in a game that exposes them to great risks”.

Michele Roberts, executive director of the National Basketball Players Association, tweeted that Curry’s withdrawal from the White House visit should be considered a “badge of honour”.

LeBron James of the Cleveland Cavaliers also threw his support behind Curry after the President’s tweet, posting on Twitter: “U bum, @StephenCurry30 already said he ain’t going! So therefore ain’t no invite. Going to White House was a great honour until you showed up!”

Trump re-emphasised his point later in the day, saying in Twitter messages that professional athletes should be required to show respect for US symbols.

“If a player wants the privilege of making millions of dollars in the NFL, or other leagues, he or she should not be allowed to disrespect ... our Great American Flag (or Country) and should stand for the National Anthem,” Trump wrote. “If not, YOU’RE FIRED. Find something else to do!”

The President typically hosts Olympians and the winners of major professional sports titles in the White House a few months after their victories.

Last year, President Barack Obama hosted 2016 NBA Champions the Cleveland Cavaliers at the White House in November.

Baltimore Ravens lineman Matt Birk chose to skip his team’s visit to the White House following their Super Bowl win in 2013, citing his opposition to Obama’s support for Planned Parenthood.