Former American soccer star Tim Howard called out athletes using the Donald Trump-inspired dance who have then tried to tiptoe around any political motivations.
Christian Pulisic was the latest athlete to break out the president-elect’s well-known dance moves after scoring against Jamaica earlier this week, which led to a slew of headlines.
Pulisic said afterward the celebratory dance wasn’t politically motivated.
But it was an aspect that Howard didn’t seem to believe and questioned in a column for the Daily Mail on Thursday.
“If someone feels strongly the other way, no problem. But if you’re going to make a political statement then be bold and brash enough to stand behind it,” Howard wrote. “Don’t go quiet and don’t plead innocence like Christian Pulisic.”
Howard also added that he thinks doing the Trump dance “is stupid.”
“Why? Because, whether it’s the president of the United States or my neighbor down the street, I would never back someone who I believe is racist. I wouldn’t glorify that. I wouldn’t do it for anything,” the former American soccer keeper wrote.
But Howard’s clear issue was that Pulisic said that he wasn’t supporting Trump with the celebration.
Pulisic had said after the game that he “thought it was funny” and that “it was just a dance that everyone’s doing.”
“You cannot have it both ways. You’re on one side of this or the other,” Howard also wrote in the column. “If you are bold enough to publicly make a statement, I don’t have a problem with that. But own it.”
Pulisic is one of the most well-known American men’s soccer players, and the Hershey, Pennsylvania native has appeared in 76 games for the U.S. men’s national team.
He has scored 33 goals in the time frame.
Pulisic also plays for AC Milan in Serie A in Italy.