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Tim Thomas guilty of unsportsmanlike conduct, snubbing teammates?

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Tim Thomas’ decision to boycott a White House ceremony to honor the Boston Bruins’ Stanley Cup victory has some critics accusing the team’s MVP goalie of being a sore loser, and snubbing not just President Obama, but Thomas’ teammates as well.

The White House ceremony saw Obama joshing with the Bruins players and honoring the team for its charitable work off the ice. But Thomas, who is conservative, cited politics for his decision to skip the White House gathering. Here’s the comment that he posted on his Facebook page, and he gets all the credit for the creative capitalization:

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‘I believe the Federal government has grown out of control, threatening the Rights, Liberties, and Property of the People. This is being done at the Executive, Legislative, and Judicial level. This is in direct opposition to the Constitution and the Founding Fathers vision for the Federal government. ‘Because I believe this, today I exercised my right as a Free Citizen, and did not visit the White House. This was not about politics or party, as in my opinion both parties are responsible for the situation we are in as a country. This was about a choice I had to make as an INDIVIDUAL.’This is the only public statement I will be making on this topic. TT’

Many are blasting the athlete for snubbing not just the president, but the teammates who helped him win the 2011 Stanley Cup.

Here is a sampling of comments:

-- ‘...bottom line is that he should be there with his teammates that won him a cup,’ said one comment on ESPN.com

-- ‘His TEAM was being honored for the most part. He needs to open a dictionary and look up the words TEAM, HONOR, RESPECT, GRACE, etc....BAD MOVE, Tiny Tim!’ said a comment on WSJ.com.

-- ‘Thomas is an idiot and selfish. You attend with your TEAM. He didn’t and HE became the story. Gimme a break saying its not political,’ chimed in a comment posted at our sister blog Fabulous Forum.

On Tuesday night, Thomas might not start as goalie against the Washington Capitals. But team management says that decision has nothing to do with the White House flap, according to ESPN.com. Club policy keeps the starting goaltender away from the media on game day.

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--Rene Lynch
Twitter / renelynch

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