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Donald Trump, Fernando Mendoza
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Fernando Mendoza skipped the Indiana Hoosiersâ White House visit â and President Donald Trump was ânot happy.â
The Las Vegas Raiders quarterback opted to stay with his new team on the first day of OTAs (organized team activities) on Monday, May 11 instead of traveling to Washington, D.C. alongside most of his former team, who won the national championship in January.
âNow the reason heâs not here â he was so nice he called â heâs a big fan of ours,â Trump said in his address, standing in front of Indiana players and flanked by Hoosiers wide receiver Charlie Becker and head coach Curt Cignetti.
He added, âYou wouldnât believe it 'cause he didnât show up, Iâm not happy but thatâs okay.â
Fernando Mendoza skipped the celebration because he was in training camp on the same day his former team visited the White House.
Donald Trump expressed that he was 'not happy' about Fernando Mendoza's absence from the White House celebration.
Yes, at least two other former Indiana players also opted not to attend the White House celebration.
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President Donald Trump, Indiana Hoosiers football team
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Mendoza, 22, was not the only former Hoosiers player to opt out of the visit. Center Pat Coogan and DâAngelo Ponds were among those who did not attend due to NFL obligations, according to The Athletic.
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The NFL rookie previously shared that it was unlikely that he would attend the gathering.
âIf it is on the first day of OTAs [organized team activities], like I said, Iâm on the bottom of the totem pole here. I gotta prove myself,â Mendoza said on Saturday, May 2. âI canât miss practice.â
He added, âAs a rookie, I donât think thatâs a good look. I want to try to best serve my teammates and I don't know if that'd be accomplishing that goal.â
At the ceremony, Becker, Cignetti and Jamari Sharpe â whose interception during the championship was a game-changer â spoke on behalf of the school.
At one point, Trump asked Cignetti if the Hoosiers could run it back.
"We've got a chance if we commit, have great discipline, and if we can handle success, and we can handle failure, and weâre consistent, day in, day out, we may have a chance," Cignetti said.
Read the original article on People