Trump praises the Pittsburgh Penguins for saying that they WILL visit the White House amid his feud with basketball and NFL stars

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President Trump lauded the Pittsburgh Penguins for the NHL team's decision to accept his invitation to the White House, after he spent the weekend riling up the football and basketball world with his tweets.  

'Please[d] to inform that the Champion Pittsburgh Penguins of the NHL will be joining me at the White House for Ceremony. Great team!' Trump tweeted out on Sunday afternoon. 

The tweet comes after throngs of NFL players took a knee Sunday to protest racial inequality and in the aftermath of Trump disinviting NBA champions, the Golden State Warriors, to the White House over comments made by point guard Steph Curry. 

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President Trump called the Pittsburgh Penguins a 'great team' after the NHL franchise agreed Sunday to visit the White House. The Penguins won the Stanley Cup earlier this year

President Trump tweeted Sunday afternoon that the Penguins had accepted his invitation to the White House, a day after he had disinvited NBA champs the Golden State Warriors 

Having won back-to-back Stanley Cups, the Pittsburgh Penguins also visited the White House last year and gave a jersey to President Obama, as star player Sidney Crosby hoists up the cup

'Going to the White House is considered a great honor for a championship team,' Trump wrote. 'Stephen Curry is hesitating,therefore invitation is withdrawn!' the president said Saturday after Curry had suggested he and his teammates could 'inspire some change' by refusing Trump's invite. 

On Sunday morning the Penguins released a statement saying they respect the president and 'the long tradition of championship teams visiting the White House.'

Having won back-to-back Stanley Cups, the team had visited the White House last year and presented President Obama with a Penguins jersey.  

'Any agreement or disagreement with a president's politics, policies or agenda can be expressed in other ways,' the team's statement read. 'However we very much respect the rights of other individuals and groups to express themselves as they see fit.' 

Last year, San Francisco 49s player Colin Kaepernick began taking a knee during the Star Spangled Banner to protest the country's continued systematic racism. 

While Kaepernick doesn't currently play in the NFL other football players took up Kaepernick's cause.

On Friday, at a rally in Alabama, Trump reiterated that he thought it was unacceptable. 

The president said he'd like to see NFL owners saying, 'Get that son of a b***h off the field right now, out, he's fired. He's fired!' 

Instead, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and most team owners have come out in support of the players on bent knee.  

The Pittsburgh team that played today, the Steelers, made headlines Sunday morning when coach Mike Tomlin said his players would stay in the locker room for the Star Spangled Banner, as they visited Chicago to play the Bears.

Tomlin explained that in these 'divisive times' he wanted the team to do something '100 percent.' 

'We're not gonna let divisive times or divisive individuals affect our agenda,' the Steelers coach said. 'This collection of men, we're chasing something here in 2017 and we're not gonna play politics with football players, with football coaches.' 

'We're not participating in the anthem today,' Tomlin then said. 'Not to be disrespectful to the anthem, to remove ourselves from the circumstance.' 

'People shouldn't have to choose,' Tomlin argued. 'If a guy wants to go about his normal business and participate in the anthem, he shouldn't be forced to choose sides. If a guy feels the need to do something, he shouldn't be separated from his teammate who chooses not to.'

Tomlin's call for team unity didn't go entirely as planned, as Steelers player Alejandro Villanueva stood just outside the tunnel for the national anthem with his hand over his heart.

Villanueva is an ex-Army Ranger and served three tours in Iraq. 

Other members of the Steelers team, including quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, were photographed standing in the tunnel during the anthem a short distance behind Villanueva. 

Conservatives have tried to tie players' decisions to kneel during the Star Spangled Banner with disrespect for the armed forces, despite the fact that it originated as a stand – or sit – against racism. 

On Twitter Sunday, Trump suggested fans should boycott the games. 

'If NFL fans refuse to go to games until players stop disrespecting our Flag & Country, you will see change take place fast,' the president wrote. 'Fire or suspend!'