Former NFL quarterback Boomer Esiason made it abundantly clear that he's not thrilled with some of the athletes competing for Team USA in the 2026 Winter Olympics.
Before the Milan Cortina Winter Games kicked off last weekend, American freestyle halfpipe skier Hunter Hess told reporters that he doesn't agree with everything going on in the United States, especially the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids taking place in Minnesota.
“It’s a little hard. There’s obviously a lot going on that I’m not the biggest fan of,” Hess said Friday, via USA Today. “Wearing the flag doesn’t mean I represent everything that’s going on in the U.S.”
Chris Lillis, who won a gold medal in the mixed team aerials event at the 2022 Beijing Olympics, made similar comments about representing the United States.
“I love the USA and I think I would never want to represent a different country in the Olympics,” said Lillis. “With that being said, a lot of times athletes are hesitant to talk about political views and how we feel about things. I feel heartbroken about what’s happened in the United States. .. I think that as a country we need to focus on respecting everybody’s rights and making sure that we’re treating our citizens as well as anybody with love and respect.”
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It's safe to say those comments from Hess and Lillis didn't sit well with Esiason. The former MVP called out Team USA athletes during the latest episode of "Boomer and Gio" on WFAN.
"Everybody should just pipe down and just do their sport and play for our country and respect the flag and respect everything that’s going on," Esiason said.
These comments from Esiason have sparked quite the debate on social media. Countless fans believe he should've kept his thoughts on this matter to himself.
President Trump isn't happy.
A few days ago, President Donald Trump called out Hess on social media. He referred to the 27-year-old skier as a "real loser" who shouldn't compete for Team USA.
“U.S. Olympic Skier, Hunter Hess, a real Loser, says he doesn’t represent his Country in the current Winter Olympics,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “If that’s the case, he shouldn’t have tried out for the Team, and it’s too bad he’s on it. Very hard to root for someone like this. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”
If we had to guess, all the drama surrounding Team USA is far from over.