CLEVELAND — Cavaliers majority owner Dan Gilbert released a statement Monday afternoon in which he said his companies’ “interests are in the policies at the federal level, and not the politics surrounding the elections.”
Gilbert, a billionaire who owns Quicken Loans Inc. and several real estate and development companies in Detroit, appeared Tuesday with Ivanka Trump at an event celebrating $200 million in federal grants for technical education and training.
He also appeared at the White House over the summer with President Donald Trump, and Quicken Loans contributed $750,000 to Trump’s inauguration.
But at a time where professional sports have become a wedge for Trump, his supporters and critics, Gilbert is taking steps to distance himself from a personal or political association with him.
Trump has called for NFL team owners to “fire” players who kneel during the national anthem in protest (something NBA players will surely consider), and disinvited the Warriors to the White House.
On Tuesday, Trump called for the NFL to implement a rule to force players to stand.
Gilbert’s best and most valuable player, LeBron James, is among Trump’s staunchest critics and said Monday that people who voted for Trump made a mistake.
On Monday, Gilbert reminded reporters that he contributed to the presidential campaigns of Ohio Gov. John Kasich and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who are Republicans, and to 2016 Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton.
Gilbert also said he was appointed to an urban blight task force by Democratic President Barack Obama.
Here is Gilbert’s full statement:
