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Aroldis Chapman gets no praise from President Obama during visit

Monday was a big day for the 2016 Chicago Cubs. President Obama welcomed them to the White House to celebrate their World Series victory, just days before he’ll be leaving office. And celebrate is what they did. There were laughs, smiles, and the giving of gifts, including a W flag and a lifetime pass to Wrigley Field for the president.

In the speech he gave commemorating the visit, President Obama made a point to call out the many Cubs who made a difference to the team during the regular season and the postseason. He named 14 guys: Kris Bryant, Javier Baez, Dexter Fowler, Addison Russell, Anthony Rizzo, David Ross, Ben Zobrist, Kyle Hendricks, Jon Lester, Jake Arrieta, Kyle Schwarber, Miguel Montero, Carl Edwards and Mike Montgomery.

One player who wasn’t mentioned was Aroldis Chapman, the 2016 Cubs’ flame-throwing closer who has since signed a five-year, $86 million contract with the New York Yankees. Despite having saved 16 regular season games for the Cubs with an ERA of 1.01, President Obama never said his name.

WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 16: U.S. President Barack Obama poses for photograph with the Major League Baseball World Series champion Chicago Cubs during a celebration in the East Room of the White House January 16, 2017 in Washington, DC. Obama made sure to celebrate the Cubs' victory at the White House during his last week in office because they are from his adopted home town of Chicago. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
President Obama poses with the Chicago Cubs during their White House visit. (Getty Images)

Of course, stats don’t tell the whole story. Chapman may have been left out of the president’s remarks because Chapman is a controversial player who spent 30 games of the 2016 season suspended due to a domestic violence incident. The incident that sparked that suspension involved Chapman allegedly choking and pushing his girlfriend before he shot a gun into wall in his garage eight times. No charges were filed, but MLB’s domestic violence policy doesn’t require that charges be filed to hand down a suspension.

This isn’t the first time that President Obama has left someone out of a speech due to a domestic violence incident. In October of 2015, while the Wold Cup-winning US Women’s soccer team was visiting the White House, President Obama left goalie Hope Solo out of his speech when naming difference-making players. Solo has been accused of beating up several family members back in 2014.

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Liz Roscher is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email her at lizroscher@yahoo.com or follow her on twitter! Follow @lizroscher