Chelsea officials were reportedly forced to block questions about gun control during Christian Pulisic's press conference in America.
The Blues are currently doing their pre-season tour around the United States as they prepare for the Premier League season which kicks off at the start of August.
Their arrival in the US comes during a time when tensions are high in the nation following a string of several mass shootings.
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So when Chelsea forward and US international Pulisic was conducting a press conference from his home country, a member of the media asked him to comment on the recent tragic events.
According to a number of outlets, a Blues official stepped in to prevent the 23-year-old from giving his opinion while on the press Zoom call.
"That isn't something for Christian to answer in this press conference," the club employee is believed to have said.
Pulisic then "seemed to display a pained expression", a report from the Daily Mail says.
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Meanwhile, the Mirror suggests it was Pulisic himself who "sidestepped the issue" and "declined to re-enter the debate".
By all accounts, it's a topic of conversation Pulisic feels strongly about.
The Chelsea forward was one of the members of the US men’s national team who recently signed an open letter to Congress calling on them to address gun legislations.
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“I hope you guys can all realise why we did it. People can say: ‘It’s not the guns, it’s the people,’ but we have to start somewhere,” he said.
“The letter was where we wanted to start.”
A number of high profile US athletes have continued to use their platforms to address the issue.
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During the French Open, 18-year-old tennis sensation Coco Gauff made her feeling be known by signing a camera with the words: ‘Peace End Gun Violence’.
“I think that this is a problem in other parts of the world, but especially in America,” she added.
“It’s a problem that’s, frankly, been happening over some years, but obviously now it’s getting more attention.
“Hopefully, it gets into the heads of people in office to hopefully change things.”
Topics: Australia, Football, Christian Pulisic, United States, Chelsea
Max Sherry