United States curler Rich Ruohonen spoke out Tuesday during an Olympic news conference against “what’s going on in Minnesota,” while also emphasizing that “we’re playing for the U.S.”
Although Ruohonen, 54, didn’t mention any specific governmental agency, he appeared to be alluding to the actions of agents from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. DHS has sent thousands of heavily armed agents to the Minneapolis-St. Paul area as part of President Donald Trump’s mass deportation campaign, and federal agents fatally shot two U.S. citizens in Minneapolis last month.
“I’m proud to be here, to represent Team USA and to represent our country,” Ruohoen said. “But we’d be remiss if we didn’t at least mention what’s going on in Minnesota and what a tough time it’s been for everybody.
“This stuff is happening right around where we live. And I am a lawyer, as you know. We have a constitution. It allows us freedom of the press, freedom of speech, protects us from unreasonable searches and seizures, and makes it so we have to have probable cause to be pulled over. And what’s happening in Minnesota is wrong. There’s no shades of gray.”
US Olympic Curling Team member speaks out against ICE:
“I’m proud to represent Team USA. But we’d be remiss if we didn’t mention what’s going on in Minnesota and what a tough time it’s been. What’s happening is wrong. There’s no shades of gray.”
— FactPost (@factpostnews.bsky.social) February 10, 2026 at 12:58 PM
Ruohonen’s online biography says he is a partner in a law firm that represents victims of personal-injury accidents. He was named as an alternate to the U.S. team.
“I want to make it clear that we are out here, we love our country,” Ruohonen said. “We’re playing for the U.S. We’re playing for Team USA, and we’re playing for each other, and we’re playing for our family and our friends that sacrificed so much to get here today.
“And that doesn’t change anything. Because what the Olympics means is excellence, respect, friendship. And we all, I think, exemplify that. And we are playing for the people in Minnesota and the people around the country who share those same values — that compassion, that love and that respect.”
Ruohonen’s comments continue a trend among some U.S. Winter Olympic athletes of calling attention to the social and political climate in the country.
Freestyle skier Hunter Hess responded to a question about what it means to represent the United States by saying it “brings up mixed emotions” and was “a little hard.”
“Just because I’m wearing the flag,” Hess said, “doesn’t mean that I represent everything that’s going on in the U.S.”
Hess’ comment prompted Trump to make a social media post in which he called Hess “a real loser” and said “he shouldn’t have tried out for the team.”
Figure skater Amber Glenn, in a news conference before the Olympics, said it is a “tough time” for the LGBTQ+ community. She said she received death threats in response to her comment.
“I couldn’t believe the outlandish backlash I’ve received for just supporting people,” she said.
Questions posed to Olympians about Trump’s response to Hess sparked a response from other athletes.
Freestyle skier Eileen Gu, a two-time gold medalist for China who was born in San Francisco, said the resulting headlines were “contrary to everything the Olympics should be.”
U.S. snowboarder Chloe Kim said: “I’m really proud to represent the United States. The U.S. has given my family so much opportunity, but I also think we are allowed to voice our opinions on what’s going on.”