US Hockey Star Abbey Murphy Defends Men's Team Over Trump Joke Controversy
US women's hockey star Abbey Murphy has firmly defended their male counterparts, insisting they did not need to apologise over Donald Trump's controversial locker-room joke. The incident occurred following the men's gold-medal triumph over Canada on Sunday, during a congratulatory phone call with the former president.
Trump's Controversial Remark Sparks Outrage
In a moment that has sparked significant uproar, Trump was heard saying he was 'going to have to bring the women's team' to Washington after they also defeated Canada for gold. He then added that he 'probably would be impeached' if he didn't extend the customary invitation to America's female hockey champions.
This remark caused widespread outrage online, with numerous users accusing Trump of misogyny and criticising the men's team for still accepting his invitation to attend the State of the Union speech and visit the White House. Notably, the women's team declined the initial invitation due to 'academic and professional commitments.'
Murphy's Strong Defence of the Men's Team
According to Murphy, who registered two goals and five assists throughout the tournament, the men did not owe them an apology for the exchange with Trump. 'You hear someone in the back of the phone call yell "two for two", and we never felt anything bad from them,' she said about the viral video.
'It's sad that they even had to apologise for anything. It was a huge part for both teams and honestly a really cool moment.' Murphy went on to highlight the strong relationship between both the women's and men's teams, explaining how they sat together for two-and-a-half hours after their win over Canada on Sunday.
'They're a special group of boys and we're just honoured to be on that journey with them,' she stressed. 'But we know how much they respect us and we respect them, so it definitely goes two ways.'
State of the Union Announcement and Team Reactions
During his State of the Union speech on Tuesday, Trump announced that the USA women's team will still be visiting the White House at a later date despite rejecting his first invitation. 'They beat a fantastic Canadian team in overtime, as everybody saw. As did the American women who will soon be coming to the White House,' he told a filled chamber of Congress.
The men's team were present for Trump's State of the Union speech, parading their gold medals after becoming America's first male Olympic champions since 1980. However, they received criticism for still heading to Washington after the contentious joke.
NHL star Charlie McAvoy has since expressed regret over how he and his teammates reacted to the president's locker-room joke. 'Certainly sorry for how we responded to it in that moment,' he said on Thursday after returning from their gold-medal celebration in Washington. 'You know, things just happened really quick there.'
Winger Brady Tkachuk has also admitted that he could see why their female counterparts might have felt insulted by Trump's comments. 'I mean, I get it,' he said before detailing the positive relationship between the men's and women's teams. 'We support them, they support us. You can't control what other people say. It was fun being around them, seeing how they play and the excellence around them.'
'If I see one of them, we'll talk about the excitement of what we can control, which is to be gold medalists.'
