Kenny Stills Doubles Down on Criticism of Trump Supporting Dolphins Owner

Miami Dolphins wide receiver Kenny Stills continues to criticize his boss, team owner Stephen Ross, for hosting a fundraiser for President Donald J. Trump.

After Thursday’s Dolphins preseason game against Atlanta, Stills said he can no longer support Ross’ RISE Foundation, a nonprofit that “educates and empowers the sports community to eliminate racial discrimination, champion social justice and improve race relations.”

Stills doesn’t believe that Ross can support Trump and also run a foundation with that mission statement.

“If you say you’re going to be about something, let’s be about it,” Stills said in the Dolphins’ locker room Thursday night.

Stills believes it took “courage” to stand up against the team’s owner for his relationship with Trump.

“Someone has to have enough courage to let him know he can’t play both sides of this,” Stills said. “It’s something that I can look back on and say I made the right decision. Maybe I shouldn’t have done it on social media, but I did. If you’re going to associate yourself with bad people, then people are going to know about it. I put it out there for everybody to see it.”

This current Stills controversy took root on Tuesday when the talented wide receiver responded to a tweet from the Washington Post detailing a Ross fundraiser for Trump in The Hamptons.

Stills responded to the Washington Post tweet by adding, “You can’t have a non profit with this mission statement then open your doors to Trump.”

He didn’t explain why Ross can’t do both.

Ross, a real estate mogul, who has known Trump for 40 years, doesn’t seem to believe that he needs this guidance from Stills.

“I’ve always been an active participant in the democratic process,” Ross said in a statement. “While some prefer to sit outside of the process and criticize, I prefer to engage directly and support the things I deeply care about.

“I have been, and will continue to be, an outspoken champion of racial equality, inclusion, diversity, public education and environmental sustainability, and I have and will continue to support leaders on both sides of the aisle to address these challenges.”

Dolphins coach Brian Flores, who is black, was disappointed in Stills for not talking to Ross man-to-man before sending out that tweet.

“I asked him why he didn’t talk to the owner, why he didn’t talk to Steve before putting something out there,” Flores said after the Dolphins-Falcons game. “That’s something we have to do more of, more communication, more conversation, if we want to make change. I wish he would have done that. I told him that.”

Stills, who does a lot of charity work in South Florida, claims his position isn’t about politics, but doing “God’s work.”

“I feel like I’m doing God’s work, all the stuff that I’ve done and spoken up for and stood up for,” Stills said. “It’s not about politics. It’s never been about politics. It’s about the human being.”

Stills said he’s received “five to 10” death threats on social media for his tweet against the Ross fundraiser for Trump, but he’s “okay” with that due to his faith.