Alex Cora Says He'll Respect White House Decision By Red Sox
BOSTON (CBS) -- The World Series champion Red Sox are still deciding whether or not they'll go to the White House, but manager Alex Cora said he and his players will respect whatever decision the team makes.
Cora, a native of Puerto Rico, has been critical of comments made by President Donald Trump about the recovery efforts in Puerto Rico after the island was devastated by Hurricane Maria in 2017. In September, Cora stated his frustration with Tweets that President Trump sent out disputing reports about the number of casualties in the aftermath of the storm.
It has led many to wonder if the Red Sox will skip out on their visit to Pennsylvania Ave, following in the footsteps of the NBA champion Golden State Warriors and Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles in recent years.
Cora was already manager of the Red Sox when the Houston Astros went for their White House visit last offseason, so he did not attend. He was non-committal when chatting with reporters at Fenway Park on Thursday, but said whatever decision the team makes, it will be honored by all members of the franchise.
"We'll talk about it and whatever we decided will be respected," Cora said Thursday. "Looking at this team, we have guys from the U.S. and from the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, Puerto Rico. I'll use the platform the right way.
"I know the headlines don't show it, but I said I respect the president and I know that he helped our country. Whenever we have to make that decision we'll make it, and it will be respectful," concluded Cora.
Red Sox owner John Henry told WEEI.com that he believes the team will go to the White House immediately after they beat the Dodgers in Game 5 in Los Angeles. We should know for certain in the coming weeks.
