For the second time in little more than two weeks, the Penguins find themselves in the middle of a political controversy for absurd reasons that they want nothing to do with and are not their fault.
They are scheduled to visit the White House on Tuesday, a tremendous, well-deserved honor that goes with their Stanley Cup win in June. They will be criticized by many _ yet again _ even if they are doing the right thing by going. Their trip has nothing to do with politics or endorsing or even respecting the man in the office. It has everything to do with respecting the office itself. It's a crying shame a lot of people will continue to beat them up for it.
That's been happening since the weekend of Sept. 23-24. That was the weekend President Donald Trump assaulted the NFL and its players, calling those who kneel during the national anthem a "son of a (expletive)" and suggesting they be fired. That also was the weekend Trump rescinded a White House invitation to the NBA world champion Golden State Warriors because star player Stephen Curry was, in Trump's word, "hesitating" to accept.
"The Pittsburgh Penguins respect the institution of the Office of the President, and the long tradition of championship teams visiting the White House," the Penguins said in a statement that Sunday. "Any agreement or disagreement with a president's politics, policies or agenda can be expressed in other ways."
I get the criticism, I suppose, that the Penguins' timing for the statement was a bit off. Trump had infuriated NFL owners and players and divided many in the country with his unnecessary and divisive comments and tweets, making the anthem controversy much bigger and much worse than it had been. Think Al Villanueva and the Steelers in Chicago. But the Penguins merely responded to numerous requests to update their White House plans. They had no choice but to respond.
I also get the criticism, I suppose, of Ron Burkle and David Morehouse. They are, after all, two giants in the Democratic Party. But Mario Lemieux? And Sidney Crosby? Crosby took an unfair beating in his home province of Nova Scotia with one prominent activist saying the Penguins' and Crosby's decision to go the White House was "an act of moral cowardice ...
"I hope that (Crosby) sees this and realizes how greatly disappointing this is to Canadians and particularly to Black Canadians," El Jones told Metro Halifax. "I'm not saying he's a terrible person, but he made a terrible choice.
"A lot of people who play hockey in this province who are black and who admire Sidney Crosby are now facing the idea that Sidney Crosby has no interest in standing up for them or seeing them or thinking that they're worth speaking for. He may agree with Trump. We don't know his politics. Maybe he absolutely thinks black athletes should be fired."
That's beyond absurd.
Even Bill Peduto piled on. He said he won't go to the White House _ he went with the Penguins last season when President Barack Obama honored the team after its Cup championship in 2016 _ because he doesn't want to show any signs of endorsing Trump's comments and tweets. He said, rather flippantly, that he would "take a knee on this one and stay home."
Peduto, a Democratic mayor, certainly has a right to his opinion, just as I have a right to say I lost a lot of respect for him. He should be at the White House with his city's championship team.
The criticism of the Penguins figures to intensify, and not just because the date of their White House visit is here. Trump was back on the NFL attack Sunday, telling Vice President Mike Pence to leave the San Francisco-Indianapolis game if players knelt during the anthem. Trump and Pence knew several 49ers would, which means Pence's walk-out was planned. That's unconscionable. That was unfair to Peyton Manning, whose statue unveiling at Indianapolis' Lucas Oil Stadium was overshadowed by the high-profile political grandstanding. That was really unfair to us, the taxpayers, who had to pay tens of thousands, if not more, for Pence's travel and security just so Trump could twist his knife one more time.
Here's hoping the Penguins find a way to enjoy their White House visit despite Trump and all that goes with him.
"It's a great honor for us to be invited there," Crosby told the Post-Gazette's Jason Mackey. "I still feel like we look at it as an opportunity. We respect the office of the White House."
Crosby gets it.
Too bad so many others don't.
