Traditionally, Super Bowl-winning teams get to visit the White House at some point after the victory. However, with recent presidency of Donald Trump, at least two New England Patriots have already said they will forego the visit.
Safety Devin McCourty, a Patriots’ team captain, joined tight end Martellus Bennett in stating that he would not go on the visit.
“I’m not going to the White House,” McCourty told Time via text message. “Basic reason for me is I don’t feel accepted in the White House. With the president having so many strong opinions and prejudices I believe certain people might feel accepted there while others won’t.”
It is not yet known if any other players will join McCourty and Bennett’s decision. But what is interesting is that both McCourty and Bennett were the only two players to visibly join San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick in protest earlier this season. Both McCourty and Bennett held their fists in the air during the national anthem to show their solitude with Kaepernick’s civil rights movement.
Three critical pieces to the Patriots’ organization, quarterback Tom Brady, coach Bill Belichick and owner Robert Kraft, have a publicly known friendship with Trump.
• Tommy Chalk can be reached at tchalk@washingtontimes.com.
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