New England Patriots boycotting visit to White House in unprecedented numbers

Six New England Patriots players have a message for the Trump White House: We're just not that into you.

Since the team won an historic fifth Super Bowl with a stunning come-from-behind victory over the Atlanta Falcons in overtime on February 5th, a growing number of players on the team have told the press that they would turn down an invite to commemorate their victory at the White House.

And while some have not explicitly cited So-Called President Trump and his policies as the reason — some have — and the number of players planning to boycott a future photo-op is unprecedented compared to years past.

"We've never seen anything like this," Edge of Sports writer and Nation contributor Dave Zirin told NBC News on Friday. "It has extra meaning coming from a team that all over social media — by both sides — was being called 'Team Trump.'"

***

Both before and after the game, tight end Martellus Bennett was the first player to say he wouldn't join his teammates at any future White House celebration. Bennett made it very clear that Trump was the impetus for the decision.

Follow
Martellus Bennett ✔ @MartysaurusRex
America was built on inclusiveness not exclusiveness.
6:47 AM - 30 Jan 2017
 756 756 Retweets   2,771 2,771 likes

He was later joined by defensive back Devin McCourty (who also participated in a silent, fists raised National Anthem protest with Bennett during the regular season) who said: "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."

His sentiment was also echoed by star running back LaGarrette Blount who said, "I don't feel welcome in that house. I'll leave it at that," during an appearance of "The Rich Eisen Show" Thursday.

Follow
Rich Eisen Show ✔ @RichEisenShow
"I will NOT be going to the White House. I don't feel welcome in that house. I'll leave it at that." -@LG_Blount
1:13 PM - 9 Feb 2017
 712 712 Retweets   1,293 1,293 likes

Meanwhile, Dont'a Hightower, Chris Long and Alan Branch have now all also said they would turn down a request to come to the White House, but did not cite political motivations. And, running back James White — who had a breakout out game for the Patriots in the Super Bowl — has said he is considering skipping the trip but will wait until an invite is put forward to decide.

Under President Barack Obama, three players from the undefeated 1972 Miami Dolphins turned down a photo-op at the White House over politics, as well as a handful of other athletes.

Brady even skipped a 2015 invitation to the Obama White House — without publicly giving a specific reason why.

And Presidents George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George H. W. Bush and Ronald Reagan have all presided over the occasional athlete defection, but this snubbing feels more significant because of who this current commander-in-chief is and what the Patriots franchise has come to represent.

In part because of Trump's attachment to the team, many sports fans began to see them as a red state franchise, even though ironically they hail from a cerulean state where every county went to Hillary Clinton last November.

Even Richard Spencer, the widely reviled white nationalist, hopped on the Patriots bandwagon, calling their comeback win a victory for the "NFL's Whitest team," even though their roster is close to the league average in terms of African-American representation.

eddie wrote:He's a hot snowflake

The Devil, You Know wrote:american football, rugby for sissies.