Sam Riddle calls out 'hypocritical' Detroit Red Wings for hosting Kid Rock

Detroit political consultant Sam Riddle called out the Detroit Red Wings for their attempt to distance themselves from a white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Va., this past weekend.

"So the Red Wings will open their new arena in Detroit next month with Kid Rock, a known lover of the Confederate Flag, a hate symbol; now the Wings wonder why and object to white supremacists using the Wings logo?" Riddle, the political director of the Michigan National Network (NAN) questioned.

Kid Rock in fact distanced himself from the controversial flag several years ago, as the Free Press reported in 2015. Having displayed the Confederate imagery at shows in the early 2000s — defending it at the time as a symbol of Southern rock — he chose to stop using it onstage after receiving an NAACP award in 2011.

Rock has not displayed the flag in his shows since. In his recently music video "Po-Dunk," a woman is briefly seen wearing a shirt with the Confederate stars-and-bars, during a scene set in a trailer park.

Rock is booked to open the Red Wings' Little Caesars Arena with six shows in September. The 46-year-old Michigan musician has drawn national attention in recent weeks with talk of U.S. Senate run, although he has not yet decided to register as a candidate.

Over the weekend, the city of Charlottesville became a flashpoint for violence as a rainbow of white supremacist groups gathered for a "Unite the Right" rally. It's suspected that one of the many groups in attendance was a Grand Haven-based alt-right group known as the Detroit Right Wings. The group, which set up a Go Fund Me to sponsor their road trip to the "conference," carried flags and shields with a modified version of the Red Wings official logo at the two-day spectacle.

When photographs of the modified Red Wings logo at the event began circulating online, the team released a statement denouncing the Unite the Right event and those using the logo.

"The Detroit Red Wings vehemently disagree with and are not associated in any way with the event taking place today in Charlottesville, Va., " the statement read. "The Red Wings believe that Hockey is for Everyone and we celebrate the great diversity of our fan base and our nation. We are exploring every possible legal action as it pertains to the misuse of our logo in this disturbing demonstration."

Riddle, however, is dubious of this distance.

"The Detroit Wings are hypocritical at best for enabling a purveyor of hate symbols to rub his disrespect in the face of America's Blackest and poorest city, Detroit," he said in his own statement.

Officials for Olympia Entertainment could not immediately be reached for comment.

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“Kid Rock is the perfect entertainer to open Little Caesars Arena," Tom Wilson, president and CEO of Olympia Entertainment, the sports and entertainment organization that oversees business operations for the Detroit Red Wings said at the time. “Just as Henrik Zetterberg and Rick Mahorn serve as ambassadors for the Red Wings and The Pistons, respectively, Kid Rock serves as a true ambassador for the music of Detroit. He cares about this city and its people, and we’re thrilled to have him as this amazing venue’s opening act.”

Contact Allie Gross: aegross@freepress.com.