Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora said he will not attend a White House event Thursday celebrating his teams 2018 World Series win, citing the Trump administrations response to Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico.

Cora, who was born and raised in the U.S. island territory, told Puerto Rican newspaper El Nuevo Da on Sunday that he doesnt feel comfortable celebrating at the White House when so many back home are still struggling.

Even though the United States government has helped, theres still a long road ahead, Cora told the paper, according to a translated version of the story . That is OUR reality. Ive used my voice on many occasions so that Puerto Ricans are not forgotten and my absence [from the White House] is no different.

Puerto Rico is still recovering after Hurricane Maria devastated the island in September 2017, leaving millions without power for months. The storm and its brutal aftermath claimed nearly 3,000 lives, according to a study from George Washington Universitys Milken Institute School of Public Health.

Despite Hurricane Marias status as one of the deadliest natural disasters on record, President Donald Trump and the Federal Emergency Management Agency failed to treat it as such and were slow to allocate aid, according to some Puerto Rican officials and Democratic lawmakers. Trump has ridiculed the crisis and personally attacked Puerto Rico leaders who complained.

The government has done some things back home that are great, but we still have a long ways to go, Cora told The Associated Press on Sunday, following his teams 9-2 win over the Chicago White Sox. Thats our reality. Its pretty tough to go celebrate when were where were at.

Several Red Sox players, including David Price, Hector Velazquez and Xander Bogaerts, also have said they will skip the White House event.

The Red Sox organization fully supports everyones personal decisions regarding the White House celebration, a team spokesman said.

We are grateful to our ownership group for creating a culture where we discuss these issues openly, and encourage individual decision making, the spokesman told HuffPost in a statement. We also appreciate Alex for talking openly with our team and supporting those who are looking forward to being honored on Thursday.

The White House did not immediately respond to HuffPosts request for comment.

This article has been updated with comment from a Red Sox spokesman.