Professional Athletes Attack Trump's Excuse of "Locker Room Talk"
Ford Watkins, Staff WriterAs he usually does, Donald Trump flipped the political world upside down last week. When videos surfaced of Trump's lewd conversation with television host Billy Bush, many politicians' support for the Republican candidate went extinct. The headliners are Republican Speaker of the House Paul Ryan, former Utah governor Jon Huntsman, and 50 other Republicans who have either withdrawn their support for Donald Trump or called on him to drop out of the race. Trump campaign's comments about the 2005 videos infuriated the public even more.During the second debate, Donald Trump claimed that the 2005 comments were "just locker room talk." Of course, this caused a lot of backlash. The backlash didn't just come from political party members, or the media. The backlash that was the most powerful came from professional athletes. Who better to prove if these horrible comments were "just locker room talk" than professional athletes themselves?Here are some of the reactions from professional athletes:LeBron James, widely regarded as one of the best basketball players ever, had this to say when asked about Trump's comments:“What is locker room talk to me? It’s not what that guy said. We don’t disrespect women in no shape or fashion in our locker room. That never comes up. I got a mother-in-law, a wife, a mom and a daughter and those conversations just don’t go on in our locker room. What goes on in our locker room is sporting events that might have happened the night before, or family, or strategies that we may have that night. A highlight that may have happened, if there was a home run in the bottom of the ninth or an alley-oop dunk play from the night before. That’s what happens in our locker room. What that guy was saying, I don’t know what that is. That’s trash talk.”Chris Conley, a Wide Receiver for the Kansas City Chiefs, tweeted this in regards to Trump's comment: "Just for reference. I work in a locker room (every day)... that is not locker room talk. Just so you know..." (@_flight17_)CJ McCollum, Portland Trail Blazers shooting guard and the NBA's most improved player, tweeted this on October 9th: "I haven't heard that one in any locker rooms" (@CJMcCollum)This election has been one of the strangest ever, and it is unusual to see this many athletes get involved in a presidential election. A famous athlete backing a candidate certainly can alter the election. For example, LeBron James could be a major reason why Hillary Clinton could win the swing-state Ohio. All-in-all, many athletes revolted against Trump's comments and their voice could influence sports fans who are undecided voters.