Washington Nationals Player Sean Doolittle Declines White House Invitation Over Donald Trump’s ‘Divisive Rhetoric’

Following a historic victory in the World Series, the Washington Nationals will be heading to the White House to follow a tradition set by previous champions. However, there is one player that will not be in attendance. Pitcher Sean Doolittle recently revealed in an interview with The Washington Post that he has opted out of heading to the White House with his teammates due to what he referred to as “divisive rhetoric.”

“There’s a lot of things, policies that I disagree with, but at the end of the day, it has more to do with the divisive rhetoric and the enabling of conspiracy theories and widening the divide in this country,” Doolittle said, per The Washington Post. “At the end of the day, as much as I wanted to be there with my teammates and share that experience with my teammates, I can’t do it. I just can’t do it.”

Doolittle is the first member of the team to opt-out of the visit with President Trump. He respects the decisions of those that attend, but he believes that taking part in the festivities sends a mixed message to those that he associates with, as well as members of his family. Doolittle has LGBTQ relatives and an autistic family member.

“I want to show support for them. I think that’s an important part of allyship, and I don’t want to turn my back on them,” Doolittle continued. “I have a brother-in-law who has autism, and [Trump] is a guy that mocked a disabled reporter. How would I explain that to him that I hung out with somebody who mocked the way that he talked or the way that he moves his hands? I can’t get past that stuff.”

Doolittle did reveal that he plans on attending the celebratory parade on Saturday to soak in the moment with his teammates. He just won’t be taking the trip to the White House on Monday. Although he does want his fellow players to enjoy the experience.

While the Washington Nationals pitcher is making news for opting out of the interactions with President Trump, he isn’t the first athlete to do so. NBA superstars in Steph Curry and LeBron James both previously said that they wouldn’t attend any White House visits upon winning the NBA Title.

The Philadelphia Eagles actually had a trip to the capital canceled by President Trump after he was informed that a contingent of roughly 10 players would be attending. The rest would be remaining in Philadelphia.

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