Blake Wheeler reached a boiling point this past weekend. The Winnipeg Jets captain took to Twitter on Saturday and i sued two tweets in response to comments made by United States President Donald Trump at a rally in Alabama on Friday night, which criticized NFL players for kneeling during the American national anthem, suggesting owners of those players, whom he referred each individually as a "son of a *****," should fire them. Trump went on to say that players, who are enacting their First Amendment rights to free speech and peaceful protest, were ruining the game by disrespecting the anthem by kneeling. It's the First Amendment to our Constitution. The First one!! Wheeler, whose Twitter handle is @Biggiefunke, wrote in his first tweet. Wheeler, who became the first NHL player to open up publicly on the matter, then tweeted: Regardle s of how it makes you feel individually, these are literally the principles the US was founded on. Come on, Mr. President. MORE : Leafs' star Auston Matthews shares his views on political "nonsense" The Jets took a day off on Sunday but the 31-year-old from Charlie Mcavoy Jersey Minnesota spoke to the media on Monday morning prior Winnipegs preseason matchup against the Calgary Flames later that night. It's been kind of a slow boil, Wheeler told the a sembled media. You know, the rhetoric over and over has kind of gone a little bit too far a few too many times. It just felt right to kind of take a stance. Blake Wheeler speaks to the media following the morning skate. Winnipeg Jets (@NHLJets) Wheeler said he was cognizant of taking a side on the i sue, knowing full well the divisivene s Americas current political landscape brings. You realize there are different perspectives, people are going to feel different ways about different things, and I think thats kind of the whole point, Wheeler said. Thats the thing that makes America a great country, is that you're allowed to have different opinions, youre allowed to voice different opinions, and youre allowed to stand up for what you believe in. Wheeler said hes absolutely for the First Amendment and the rights it holds for each American citizen. Asked if he would support a teammate who decided to take a knee during the anthem, Wheeler said hed support that decision. With just cause and if someone were electing to do that, theyd 100 per cent have my support, Wheeler said. Like I said, even if I dont nece sarily agree with why they do it, its their right to feel that way and its their right to behave that way. If I didnt agree with it, I would absolutely sit down, have a coffee and talk about it and try to understand why they feel that way and maybe you become a little more sympathetic to other people. Jets coach Paul Maurice stood behind his captain's stance on Monday. Just from a personal point of view, Blake Wheeler is one of the finest men Ive ever met, Maurice said. I support his right to voice his opinion. Maurice said he would try to understand it better if one of his players chose to kneel during the anthem. Im not much of an opinion voicer, I dont have a Twitter account, I stand during the national anthems, thats my choice, he said. Id probably want to understand it (more). When it comes to his team, Maurice said voicing opinions is encouraged in the locker room. MORE : Steve Mason's up and down journey takes next step with Jets Simple rule in our locker room that players can say whatever they want, Maurice said. They can say whatever they want to the media and they can handle themselves accordingly on that. I think if you want to take a stand and make a point, you should feel free to explain that point if you want to. Maurice said hes not worried about Wheelers comments becoming a distraction to the team as they enter their final week of training camp. Meanwhile, the Pittsburgh Penguins came under fire over the weekend after they stated they would with the President, an invitation offered to each reigning Stanley Cup champion. MORE : Sidney Crosby says it is "great honor" to visit White house Wheeler said he respects Pittsburgh's decision, tracing his stance on it back to his initial comments. Theyre the champs, Wheeler said. They can do as they feel. You win the whole thing, thats your decision to make. You got to respect their ability to choose and they made that decision. Like I said, thats back to the original point of everything: They can decide how they want. Ken Hodge Jersey