Matt Mitrione celebrated his huge win at Bellator NYC over Fedor Emelianenko on Saturday night by ripping the NBA champion Golden State Warriors for not visiting the White House during his post-fight interview.
“Hey, President Trump, f–k the Golden State Warriors!” Mitrione said. “I’m a real warrior. I’ll come to the White House. I’ll be good and honorable.”
Steph Curry and Andre Iguodala have already said they don’t plan to visit the White House if the team is invited following their championship, according to Des Bieler of the Washington Post.
“Somebody asked me about it a couple months ago, a hypothetical—if a championship were to happen, what would I do?” Curry said on June 14. “I answered, ‘I wouldn’t go.’ I still feel like that today.”
He added that “as a team” the Warriors would “have a conversation” about the possibility of making a White House visit.
“Hell nah,” Iguodala told Sam Amick of USA Today when asked if he would vote to go to the White House, though he added that the Warriors would follow the lead of Curry.
However, Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr—who like some of the Warriors has been vocally critical of President Trump during his short tenure in office—said during a podcast interview with Tim Kawakami of the Mercury News that he would ask the Warriors to at least consider attending if they were extended an invitation (h/t Business Insider and Yahoo Finance):
“I do think it is very important to consider a potential invitation because I think it could have really positive ramifications if we did go. It’s a different way to look at it. I, like many of our players, am very offended by some of Trump’s words and actions. On the other hand, I do think there’s something to respecting the office, respecting our institutions, our government.”
“And I think it can make a statement in a time when there is so much divide and everybody seems to be angry with each other. It might be a good statement for us to go and to show, ‘Hey, let’s put this aside, put all this partisan stuff aside, and personal stuff aside, respect the institution, and maybe even if one of you players wants to voice your concerns over what’s happening, what better opportunity to do so.'”
Kerr noted that such sentiments might be idealistic, and the entire conversation is moot if the team isn’t even invited to the White House. On the other hand, not attending at all would be a major statement after the New England Patriots did visit President Trump following their Super Bowl victory.
One thing is for certain: Mitrione would be more than happy to take their place.
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