 Ghrayib has generated controversy by speaking out publicly about the treatment afforded Arabs in Israel and his Palestinian heritage, an issue not normally discussed in Israeli media given the contentious nature of the subject matter.In one widely publicized interview with a local Haifa newspaper ('Kolbo' or 'Department' in English), he referred to then-Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon as a 'dog', 'coming from a party that hates Arabs', and compared him to former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein.The response of the Israeli public to this interview was indicative of what Shor, Eran, and Yonay (2011) describe as a "shut up and play" mentality; many of the responses to this interview were either that Ghrayib should not be commenting on politics as he was simply an athlete, or that he was simply an Arab, and "...all Arabs hate us [Israelis]...so deport him to Palestine!"