Ellen Hughes, the mother of Jack, Quinn, and Luke Hughes, has spoken out about her feelings regarding Team USA’s men’s team visiting the White House.
Ellen Hughes, a former hockey player who now works as a team consultant for the U.S. women’s national hockey team, is also the mother of three NHL players: Jack Hughes, Quinn Hughes, and Luke Hughes.
READ MORE: Team USA under fire after Donald Trump phone call
Team USA Donald Trump phone call
Jack and Quinn both played major roles on the U.S. men’s team that won the Olympic gold medal on Sunday. During the locker-room celebrations, the team received a call from Donald Trump. A joke he made during the call quickly went viral: “I’ve got to tell you, I have to also invite the women’s team as well… or I’d be impeached.”
Both the president and the team faced criticism afterward, with many fans arguing that the comment failed to show proper respect for the women’s team, who also won Olympic gold.
Ellen Hughes speaks up
Speaking with the program Today, Ellen Hughes shared her perspective on the controversy.
“These players — both the men and the women — bring so much unity to a group and to a country. People who don’t even watch hockey were cheering them on, people with politics on one side or the other side, and that’s what both teams care about. If you could see what we see from the inside — the men and women sharing dorm rooms, halls, flex floors; the camaraderie, the synergy; the way the women cheered on the men and the way the men cheered on the women — that’s what it’s all about. The other things, they cannot control. They care about humanity. They care about unity, and they care about the country,” she told Today.
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