This is kind of old news by now, but I was curious what you all would think of it. For those who didn't hear about it, Tim Thomas is the goalie for the Boston Bruins, who won the Stanley Cup last year, and he declined to go when the team was invited to the White House on January 23. The reason he gave was:

"I believe the Federal government has grown out of control, threatening the Rights, Liberties, and Property of the People.
"This is being done at the Executive, Legislative, and Judicial level. This is in direct opposition to the Constitution and the Founding Fathers vision for the Federal government.
"Because I believe this, today I exercised my right as a Free Citizen, and did not visit the White House. This was not about politics or party, as in my opinion both parties are responsible for the situation we are in as a country. This was about a choice I had to make as an INDIVIDUAL.
"This is the only public statement I will be making on this topic. TT"

Me, I have no problem with what he's saying. In fact, I completely agree that reigning in spending is critical to reducing the deficit. BUT, I have a BIG problem with mixing politics with sports, and I would feel the same way no matter who was the President. To me, if you're a sports figure, and you get invited to the White House, YOU GO. Going is not, in any way, an endorsement of the policies of the current president, or of his politics, nor is that an appropriate time to make a political statement. And I'm sorry Mr. Thomas, you can say "This was not about politics" but it WAS and you KNOW it.

Thoughts?