Caps’ Smith-Pelly planning to skip White House visit
LAS VEGAS — Count out Devante Smith-Pelly if the Washington Capitals are invited to celebrate their Stanley Cup championship with President Donald Trump at the White House.
“The things that he spews are straight-up racist and sexist,” Canada’s Postmedia quoted Smith-Pelly as saying this week. “Some of the things he’s said are pretty gross. I’m not too into politics, so I don’t know all his other views, but his rhetoric I definitely don’t agree with. It hasn’t come up here, but I think I already have my mind made up.”
Smith-Pelly, one of two black Capitals players, is from the Toronto area. He spoke two days after Trump cancelled the Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles’ visit to the White House, and a day after NBA stars LeBron James and Stephen Curry both said they wouldn’t visit.
Trump countered by saying he wouldn’t be inviting them to the White House, regardless of who won the NBA championship.
Trump told reporters on Friday: “I didn’t invite LeBron James, and I didn’t invite Steph Curry. We’re not going to invite either team.”
Trump added that “we have other teams that are coming.”
Trump pointed out that he’s had several championship teams at the White House, including the NFL’s New England Patriots and the NHL’s Pittsburgh Penguins.
“I think we’ll have the Caps. I mean, we’ll see,” Trump said. “You know, my attitude: If they want to be here, it’s the greatest place on Earth.”