World Series champion Aubrey Huff on Wednesday night praised the 17-year-old arrested for fatal shootings during a riot in Kenosha, Wisconsin.
Huff, who won two MLB titles with the San Francisco Giants before retiring after the 2012 season, tweeted: “#KyleRittenhouse is a national treasure.”
- The post was liked and retweeted several thousand times, and some commenters cheered the sentiment.
- But many others expressed outrage, and the tweet was taken down on Thursday morning.
Kyle Rittenhouse, a police enthusiast from Antioch, Illinois, has been charged with two counts of homicide, one count of attempted homicide and three other felony counts.
- The teen allegedly shot three people, killing two of them, during the riot on Tuesday night, which he has said he attended to help protect local business.
Huff and puff: Amid nationwide unrest over racism and policing, liberals like Rep. Ayanna Pressley, a Massachusetts Democrat, on Wednesday denounced Rittenhouse as a violent right-wing extremist.
However, Huff is not alone in expressing support for Rittenhouse.
A number of conservative commentators, including Fox News host Tucker Carlson, on Wednesday defended the teen’s actions.
- Some, like National Review writer David Harsanyi argued cellphone footage suggests the shootings were in self defense.
- Others openly praised Rittenhouse, with Anne Coulter tweeting and then deleting, “I want him as my president.”
In the world of sports, legendary retired NFL Chicago Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher on Thursday liked an Instagram post calling to “FREE KYLE RITTENHOUSE!!!!”
The comments, and others like them, have triggered outcry and condemnation — reactions Huff is familiar with.
“That’s fine”: Huff, a vocal supporter of President Donald Trump, was excluded from the Giants’ 10-year-World Series reunion in February based on his history of what the team deemed “unacceptable” tweets about guns, socialism and women.
- Huff — who was a key player on the championship team, playing first base and outfield — at the time told the Athletic he was “shocked” and “disappointed” by the Giants’ decision.
- “If it wasn’t for me, they wouldn’t be having a reunion, but if they want to stick with their politically correct, progressive bullsh*t, that’s fine,” he said.
On Friday, Huff tweeted, “Good morning to everyone. Except pro sports who support criminals.”
- He was apparently referring to a widespread suspension of professional sports over the shooting of Jacob Blake by Kenosha police.
