North Carolina basketball team will not visit the White House

After winning the NCAA men’s basketball championship in April, the North Carolina basketball team will not visit the White House due to scheduling conflicts.

The North Carolina Tar Heels men’s basketball team will not be visiting President Trump’s White House following their run to the national title in April, but not for the same reason as many recent champions.

President Trump invited the Tar Heels to celebrate their title with a visit to the White House, a common custom for national champions in most major sports. However, a North Carolina team spokesman said the two sides were unable to agree on a date and that the Tar Heels will not be visiting, according to The Charlotte Observer. 

Athletes visiting the White House has been a hot button issue, as several players have declined to make the trip to Washington D.C. since Trump was inaugurated in January in protest of the President’s rhetoric and policy. The news comes on the same day that Trump rescinded an invitation to the NBA champion Golden State Warriors after the team announced it would be holding a meeting to decide whether to go to the White House at all.

Trump also ranted about NFL players kneeling during the national anthem on Saturday afternoon, causing stars like LeBron James and Richard Sherman to take to Twitter. North Carolina indicated its players were fine with going, although Roy Williams offered a noncommittal answer when asked about visiting the White House back in April.

Williams has been critical of the President’s use of Twitter before when talking about social media in February. The 2005 national champion Tar Heels did not visit the White House due to scheduling but accepted Barack Obama’s invitation after winning in 2009.

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Several basketball players have been critical of Trump in recent months, while a current social media campaign is encouraging NFL player to take a knee during the anthem for Sunday’s games.