HARD PASS

Several Black Clemson Football Players Opted Out of Trump White House Dinner: Report

Players cited racism and their disdain for the president’s divisive politics as reasons for skipping the event.

When President Donald Trump served college football champions the Clemson Tigers a fast-food dinner in the White House, several of the team’s black players passed on the meal, The Root reports. Some of these players reportedly cited racism and their disdain for the president’s divisive politics as their reason for skipping the event. The Root reportedly spoke with three black Clemson players who each separately confirmed that many players, both black and white, had no interest in the dinner, all pointing to Trump as the reason. “It wasn’t like we had a team meeting or anything,” said one of Clemson’s offensive stars who spoke with The Root on the condition of anonymity. “Players were talking amongst each other but everybody was like: ‘I’m not going to that.’” Another player noted that some of his teammates only attended because they worried that refusing to attend the traditional White House visit might affect their scholarships or playing time. “Not saying anything against the players who went,” the player explained, “but if you look at who went—freshman and people fighting for playing time—you’ll see what I’m talking about.”

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