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Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) ignited controversy Monday night after posting a tweet weighing in on Duke's NCAA championship victory.
McCaskill took issue with Duke's use of talented freshmen who carried the team to victory, explaining she was "rooting for team who had stars actually going to college & not just doing semester tryout for NBA."
Congrats to Duke,but I was rooting for team who had stars that are actually going to college & not just doing semester tryout for NBA.— Claire McCaskill (@Claire McCaskill) 1428379926.0
NBA rules prohibit high schoolers from directly entering the professional league, forcing interested athletes to instead first play some college ball or take a year off school.
Individuals on Twitter were quick to point this out to McCaskill, slamming her for seemingly going after Duke instead of the NCAA and NBA.
@clairecmc Then complain to the NBA for not allowing kids to go from high school to the pros.— Matt (@Matt) 1428380118.0
@clairecmc @anamariecox unbelievably ridiculous comment— Natalie_Page (@Natalie_Page) 1428380188.0
@clairecmc you mean the school that has a 100% graduation rate?— Luke Oakman (@Luke Oakman) 1428380240.0
@clairecmc Interesting point. But I think you might be overlooking the effect that the NBA's passage of the BOFA rule has had on CBB players— Connor Tapp (@Connor Tapp) 1428381137.0
At first, McCaskill seemed hesitant to back down, tweeting, "I understand why it's happening, but I don't have to like it."
I see I have stirred things up. Sorry, but I'm sad about the one & done thing.I understand why it's happening,but I don't have to like it.— Claire McCaskill (@Claire McCaskill) 1428381151.0
Later, she issued a clarification, arguing that "this isn't about the kids, this is about the system."
To be clear folks, this isn't about the kids,this is about the system.This is about the NCAA/NBA.I don't blame the very talented athletes.— Claire McCaskill (@Claire McCaskill) 1428382599.0
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Follow Oliver Darcy (@oliverdarcy) on Twitter
