Six New England Patriots players plan to boycott Super Bowl visit to Donald Trump’s White House. They are taking a page out of their star quarterback, Tom Brady’s book who snubbed President Barack Obama in April 2015.
Patriots Chris Long, LeGarrette Blount, Dont’a Hightower, Alan Branch, Devin McCourty and Martellus Bennett have said they will not go to the White House. Brady, New England Patriot’s coach Bill Belichick, and owner Robert Kraft have all backed Trump.
Blount, a two-time Super Bowl champion (XLIX, LI), said on the “Rich Eisen Show.” “I will not be going to the White House. I don’t feel welcome in that house. I’ll leave it at that.”
On Thursday, Feb. 9, 2017, Long, a defensive end, responded on Twitter to an open letter from Chuck Modiano of the New York Daily News. He wrote,”Planned on skipping, hadn’t been asked.” It’s his first season with the Patriots.
Long is the son of Fox Sports host and Hall of Famer Howie Long, capped off his first season with the Patriots with Sunday’s Super Bowl win.
Much like Blount, defensive back Devin McCourty also says he didn’t “feel accepted in the White House,” according to Time magazine.
Martellus Bennett also declined the president’s invitation. The Dallas Morning News asked him if he would attend, and Bennett response was “Most likely no, because I don’t support the guy that’s in the House.”
McCourty and Bennett are no strangers to standing their ground. In September, they raised their firsts high at the end of the national anthem in order to “start the conversation” about social injustice.
Linebacker Dont’a Hightower and defensive tackle Alan Branch vowed to boycott the tradition.
“Been there, done that,” says two-time Super Bowl champion Hightower, who also declined Obama’s invite in 2014. However, he did visit President Obama while he was a member of the University of Alabama team to win the college football championship.
Two players are on the fence. James White and Rob Ninkovich are not yet sure if they will go.
The Patriots were linked to Trump throughout the campaign, starting from when Brady showcased a “Make America Great Again” hat in his locker. Brady also said in 2015 he wanted Trump to win, telling reporters: “I hope so. That would be great. There’d be a putting green on the White House lawn, I’m sure of that.” But he has refused to talk about the president since the election and avoided questions about him during the Super Bowl media week.
Belichick wrote a letter to Trump during the election campaign, praising his “leadership,” which Trump promoted in an attempt to prove to the world he is important.
