by Lindsay Gibbs
Jun 14, 2016 4:13 pm
CREDIT: Darron Cummings, AP
Former Indiana basketball coach Bob Knight talks about Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks during a campaign stop at Old National Events Plaza, Thursday, April 28, 2016, in Evansville, Ind.
Presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump only wants “winners” associated with his campaign, and therefore, he only wants “winners” to share the stage with him in Cleveland at the Republican National Convention in July.
So last week, he invited such dignitaries as NFL quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, legendary college basketball coach Bobby Knight, New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, UFC president Dana White, and NASCAR CEO Brian France to speak at the convention.
“Our country needs to see winners,” Trump told a crowd in Virginia last week. “We don’t see winners anymore. We have a bunch of clowns running this country. We have people who don’t know what the hell they’re doing running our country.”
There are a few problems with this plan. First of all, Trump’s wishlist of sports figures is not exactly chock-full of the most beloved names in the world.
Roethlisberger has been accused of rape twice, Knight is a misogynist known for his violent temper, Brady is currently suspended from the NFL for allegedly deflating footballs, White is infamous for getting into petty feuds, and France runs a sport that is still overrun by the Confederate flag at certain races. Trump certainly knows how to pick his allies.
Secondly, Trump hasn’t even received endorsements from all of these stars yet. While Knight has campaigned for him and both White and France have given official endorsements, Trump says he has actively discouraged Brady from endorsing him because of the quarterback’s relationships with sponsors.
As for Roethlisberger, well, despite the fact that Trump told a crowd in Pittsburgh that the quarterback is “100 percent” with him, the Pittsburgh Steeler told reporters over the weekend that politics are not his thing, and he has no plan to endorse Trump or speak at the convention.
Luckily for Trump, there are plenty of other sports stars who have endorsed him and who might be willing to speak at the RNC, such as convicted rapist and boxing legend Mike Tyson, noted bully and NFL offensive lineman Richie Incognito, and golfer and alleged domestic abuser John Daly.
There’s always former Boston Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling, too. He is a big fan of Trump, and has some time on his hands ever since he was fired from ESPN for his bigoted and homophobic posts on social media.
