Mike Ditka Politely Declines GOP Convention Invitation, Says World Won’t End if Donald Trump Loses

Images via Zimbio

Presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump may be able to secure the services of former Indiana basketball coach, and noted chair-thrower, Bobby Knight for the GOP convention in Cleveland next month, but he’s having some trouble locking down the rest of his sports wish list.

A few weeks back Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger publicly distanced himself from Trump after his name appeared on the aforementioned wish list. Roethlisberger said his interaction with billionaire had been limited over the years, adding he had no plans to endorse him or attend the convention.

Just this week Bloomberg reported that former boxing heavyweight, and convicted rapist, Mike Tyson had been asked to “appear” at the convention. Unfortunately, both parties rebutted the report, denying a nation the grand spectacle that only Trump and Tyson could combine to create.

Iron Mike Tyson was not asked to speak at the Convention though I'm sure he would do a good job if he was. The media makes everything up!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 29, 2016

On Wednesday former NFL coach Mike Ditka, a self-described “ultra-ultra-ultraconservative,” became the latest sports figure to take a polite step back from Trump. Like Roethlisberger, and perhaps Tyson, Ditka only learned he was being considered by the campaign after the Bloomberg report.

Approached for comment by the Chicago Tribune on Wednesday morning, an obviously confused Ditka stated plainly he’d had no contact with the Trump campaign. Hours later Ditka commented further, “I spoke with Mr. Trump this afternoon and he invited me. But I don’t think I’m going to go.”

Well that’s awkward. It also suggests, at least the possibility, that Trump had the same after-the-fact conversation with Tyson, who also turned him down. “The media makes everything up!” is certainly a much better narrative than “Even Mike Tyson thinks I’m too much of a liability.”

This guy would’ve livened up the proceedings

What’s interesting about Ditka, undoubtably the most politically minded of this bunch, is how tempered his support of Trump seems to be. On why he won’t be making the trip to Cleveland, Ditka said, “I don’t travel much anymore except between Chicago and Florida, and giving a speech at the convention isn’t really my style.”

Okay, that’s fair, but Chicago to Cleveland isn’t exactly a back-breaker. We’re talking five hours by car or under an hour by plane. That said, it’s not like Ditka is defecting to the Democratic side of the aisle. Per the Tribune:

Still, he said, “The Republican Party has its head up its ass — if he’s the candidate, you’ve got to get behind him. It does the party no good. They’re a bunch of assholes.”

He offered a take-it-or-leave-it defense of Trump that would likely appeal to existing supporters but may not sway undecided voters. “If you want good things to happen you can vote for him, and if you don’t, you don’t,” he said. “But don’t bitch about it after the fact.”

“America’s pretty resilient,” he said, adding, in a dig against President Barack Obama: “We’ve survived the last seven years, haven’t we?”

Basically what Ditka is saying here is, “If Donald Trump is, in fact, the GOP nominee, I am going to vote for him and urge the Republican Party to fall in line. But meh…if Hillary Clinton gets elected, we’ll all survive, so stop with the drama queen bullshit.”

That is not exactly a ringing endorsement, quite the opposite in fact—but it is the most reasonable thing Mike Ditka has ever said.