Spencer Hawes wore a 'Hillary for prison 2016' shirt on eve of election

We’re only a fortnight removed from Spencer Hawes disapproving of people more interested in “blurting the talking points that you see on cable news” than having a civil discussion about politics. It was that same sitdown with Sporting News writer Adi Joseph on Oct. 24 when the Charlotte Hornets big man said it’s “safe to say I will not be endorsing anybody” in the presidential election.

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So, naturally, Hawes hung in his stall — and then sported — a “Hillary for prison 2016” shirt as the media entered the locker room following Charlotte’s 122-100 win over the Indiana Pacers on Monday.

Because that’s not a talking point that you see on cable news. Certainly not one station in particular.

For the record, Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton was cleared by the FBI in July following an investigation into the improper storage of classified information on her private email server during her service as Secretary of State. That ruling was reviewed in light of newly discovered information in an unrelated investigation into former congressman Anthony Weiner’s alleged relationship with an underage girl, and Clinton was cleared again by the FBI this past weekend.

However you feel about this election and Clinton in particular, the idea that she should be in prison for the FBI investigation is actually less a cable news talking point than a conspiracy theorist’s bent.

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Of course, there’s a chance Hawes was wearing this shirt ironically, knowing writers like this one would shoot fish in the barrel with a “Spencer Hawes wore a ‘Hillary for prison 2016’ on eve of election” headline, and then he could point out the absence of a meaningful discussion on the topic. Or maybe the guy whose house featured toilet paper with Barack Obama’s face on it didn’t think that far ahead.

This shirt does not come as a total surprise, either. Hawes is a Republican, arguably the NBA’s most outspoken conservative. As such, he should be afforded an opportunity for a meaningful discussion, as Cleveland Cavaliers superstar LeBron James was upon endorsing Clinton last month, and Hawes was given that opportunity during a levelheaded interview with the Sporting News in late October.

In that case, maybe Hawes was wearing an anti-Donald Trump shirt underneath the “Hillary for prison 2016” one, just to drive home this salient point about how equally flawed both candidates are. Or maybe he’ll put on that “Make America Great Again” hat he wore at a Seattle Seahawks game last year.

Now, let’s open this up to what will surely be a more meaningful discussion in the comment section.

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Ben Rohrbach is a contributor for Ball Don’t Lie and Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at rohrbach_ben@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @brohrbach