HEAT PULL GOLF TOURNAMENT FROM TRUMP’S DORAL
ORLANDO — The Miami Heat no longer will hold their charity golf tournament at President Trump’s Doral golf course, a team spokesman confirmed Tuesday.
The Heat, who have held the event at Doral the past six years, including four since Trump took it over and renamed it Trump National Doral, will move it to another course in 2018.
The decision was made by the business side of the organization and no contract was broken. The basketball operations side of the Heat, including players, were unaware of the move. Moving the tournament, though, is not uncommon. In recent years, it has been held at Shula’s Golf Club and the Miccosukee Golf & Country Club. The 2018 tournament will be at Deering Bay Yacht & Country Club.
The tournament benefits the Miami Heat Charitable Fund and is one its top three annual fundraisers along with black-tie gala and family festival.
Trump attacked the NBA and NFL in recent weeks, withdrawing an invitation to the champion Warriors to visit the White House after learning that Stephen Curry was considering boycotting the trip and suggesting any NFL player who kneels during the National Anthem as a form of protest to racial injustices should be fired. He then added “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.”
Several NFL players knelt during the anthem immediately after Trump’s comments and most of those who did not kneel stood and locked arms. Since, some teams knelt as a show of unity before the anthem and then stood and locked arms during the anthem.
Heat players and coaches are expected to continue to lock arms during the playing of the National Anthem as they did last season.
McGruder has surgery: While the Heat prepared for tonight’s season opener, Rodney McGruder was in the operating room. The forward underwent successful surgery Tuesday to repair a left tibia stress fracture.
“Surgery went very well. It was successful,” coach Erik Spoelstra said after Tuesday’s practice. “It was even shorter than anticipated, and he’s already recovering. He’ll start the recovery rehabilitation process literally in less than a week. Knowing Rodney, we’ll have to just make sure we protect him from himself because he’ll want to come back sooner than anybody in the history of that injury.”
The Heat have not put a timetable on how long he will be out. Reports said McGruder could miss three to six months after surgery.
The 90-minute procedure was performed by Dr. Charles Jordan and Heat team physician Dr. Harlan Selesnick at Miami Orthopedics & Sports Medicine Institute at Doctors Hospital.