Pittsburgh mayor Bill Peduto intends to skip the Stanley Cup champion Penguins' Oct. 10 appearance with President Donald Trump at the White House.

“Given the president’s comments over the past week and the way in which sports are now becoming a politically divisive issue, he felt the timing is not right,” mayoral spokesman Timothy McNulty said, via the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald will join Peduto in taking a knee regarding the team's visit. Both Peduto and Fitzgerald had previously attended the event last October after the Penguins won the 2016 Stanley Cup when former President Barack Obama was in office.

“I don’t want people to think I’m not going for any political reason. That is not the case. I would go,” Fitzgerald said. “It’s an honor for the Penguins no matter who the president is -— or what the politics are -— to go for their achievements. It’s a ceremonial event.”

The Penguins released a statement Sunday noting their respect for the "Office of the President" and the "long tradition" of championship teams visiting the White House, adding that they have accepted an invitation from Trump to attend this year.

The release came one day after Trump tweeted that the NBA champion Warriors' invitation to visit the White House had been withdrawn after "hesitation" by star Stephen Curry about whether the team should go. Curry, coach Steve Kerr, and other Warriors players have been outspoken in their criticism of Trump, and Kerr wrote on SI.com that the team probably would not have gone regardless.