After Super Bowl win, Patriots players waste no time saying they won't visit White House

[EricMaundry]

Source: Washington Post

While championship sports teams making a visit to the White House has long since become an annual tradition, a newer one has emerged since President Trump took office: athletes following up a title-winning performance by declaring that they’ll skip the trip.

Sure enough, the confetti had barely stopped raining down on the Super Bowl-winning New England Patriots before several members of the team, all defensive backs, said they had no desire to go to the White House. One player, asked if he was interested in emulating an example recently set by the NBA champion Golden State Warriors, expressed a strong interest in meeting with former president Barack Obama.

“That would be dope,” Patriots safety Duron Harmon said, adding, “Hey, Obama, come holler at me. We love you over here, man.”

Trump hasn’t always felt much love from championship teams, most notably the Warriors and the Philadelphia Eagles — last year’s Super Bowl winners — but he has touted his friendships with Patriots Coach Bill Belichick and team owner Robert Kraft. In addition, quarterback Tom Brady has been a golfing partner of Trump’s and a “Make America Great Again” hat was spotted in his locker in 2015.


Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2019/02/05/after-super-bowl-win-patriots-players-waste-no-time-saying-they-wont-visit-white-house/

[RockRaven]

1. Much under-reported from the Clemson visit (fast-food, shutdown, hamberders, etc), was the fact that

3/4 of the black players on the team declined to participate. It's pretty pathetic that most media outlets dedicated much more coverage to the food, compared to the more salient angles of the story.

Don't hold your breath waiting for the coverage of the Patriots visit to be more substantive.

[iluvtennis]

2. Exactly.

[SunSeeker]

3. Yup, only 15 of the 57 black players. 11 of those 15 were Freshman who didn't play.

https://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/427533-majority-of-clemsons-black-players-skipped-white-house-visit

[Calista241]

29. To be fair, most college teams only travel with a portion of their players.

Clemson or Alabama may have had 120+ players on the team, and they may dress that many players for home games, but significantly fewer players travel to away games.

That being said, a shitload of Clemson's black players didn't go to the WH, and good for them.

[SunSeeker]

30. Of course, but they don't take the Freshmen. That's just filling empty seats. nt

[Achilleaze]

9. Wow, I'd no idea. Corporate media (R) ignored this telling act of courage by Clemson players

My opinion on corporate media, Inc. (R) has just sunk even lower. How groveling.

[mountain grammy]

16. Yes, the unending courage of the American corporate media..

[Wellstone ruled]

34. Just another Media save our

bottom line. It is all about the selling Soap.

[dalton99a]

19. +1

[SCantiGOP]

20. They first tried to spin it

Couple of days after the visit, when media pointed out that some players didn’t attend, Clemson said that some had “previous family commitments” and couldn’t go.
When pressed, all they could come up with was that one player had a family member undergoing heart surgery; turns out that the rest of the players, including a majority of the AA players, chose not to go.

[rkleinberger]

22. And yet the white players attend. That should be noted as well.

[exboyfil]

26. But most if not all

White players did attend. You have to wonder about the disconnect.

[SunSeeker]

31. Yes, that must have been hurtful to the African American players.

They're supposed to be a team that stands up for each other.

[KY_EnviroGuy]

4. Will he serve McDonald's burgers to the Patriots?

Regardless, the orange dotard will make a huge show of it, even if only the ball-boy shows......

[keithbvadu2]

10. Hamberders

Hamberders

[C Moon]

5. All eyes on Brady.

[Bigredhunk]

6. He'll Go

When NE visited the WH in 2015, he had "previous commitments." He skipped it, and was photographed shopping for an Apple Watch in NYC.

[C Moon]

7. Agreed. It gets me how people on the left support the guy even though they know he's a Trump fan.

I guess professional sports supersedes everything, to some people.
Trump is as evil as leaders get to me...Hitler-esque.

[sdfernando]

35. I don't follow sports or this guy brady

but from the previous comment about not attending when Obama was President...well sounds like he is a full on racist to me as well as a tRump supporter...but I guess you can't have one without the other.

[joshdawg]

8. He'll go because brady is as much a slug as trump.

[rpannier]

13. He skipped in 2017

Also citing family commitments
His wife does not like trump
I bet he won't go

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/19/sports/-new-england-patriots-visit-white-house-donald-trump.html

[jpak]

11. But...but...but.. We hate the Pats!!!111

[Mike Nelson]

12. Two opinions...

… if I were a nobody, I'd want to go to DC and visit the White House, despite the present resident. For many people, it's a once-in-a-lifetime chance to see this historical place. I've never been there … however, these football players have a measure of celebrity and wealth ordinary people do not have. They also travel all the time. So, I would skip a visit with the President. I'm white, and I would skip for my teammates. I'm not understanding why more - or any? - white players didn't side with their teammates. I would.

[SCantiGOP]

21. Have it both ways ?

How about attending with your team, and then, when Trump starts his bullshit speech, take a knee and stay down while he talks.
I would love to see a clip of how he would handle that.

[Mike Nelson]

23. Great idea!

[exboyfil]

27. I would think

The mic is open. In a.professional way say the President was unfit for office before they mute the mic. Bonus points for provoking a response.

[SCantiGOP]

28. I would love to write that speech

Don, do you think we like you just because we're rich? You are ruining our country and endangering the world .......... //and the sound would cut or the Secret Service would intervene about then.//

[kwassa]

38. You don't need a Trump invite to visit the White House.

It is open to the public for tours. It is particularly popular at Christmastime when the place is done up. I've been twice.

However, the second time I had a close friend who worked at the Clinton White House. Got to visit the Oval Office and the press room.

[watoos]

14. The Patriots will show up with bells on,

and Brady will felch Trump for entertainment. Hope I'm wrong.

[Maxheader]

15. Hey cheetoz!!

Can't buy some peoples love..

[bedazzled]

17. He has a "career" of endorsements to protect

Cant blame him for not taking sides I guess

[Dave Starsky]

18. Cold fast-food hamberders just aren't the draw they used to be.

Maybe Trump can up the ante to stale saltines with individually wrapped American cheese slices. Maybe even go "whole hog" and provide some melted Dippin' Dots for dessert. That will surely bring the Patriots to the table.

Nothing's too good for The Deal Maker.

[Cryptoad]

25. He He,,,, Micky Dee's stocks will...

take a hit from this,,,,,!

[Maxheader]

24. Bradys offensive line should...

tell the cheater to stay home or the boys will let a few
linebackers through the pocket in 2019..

[redstatebluegirl]

33. Would not make a difference since the refs have always protected little Tommy.

[redstatebluegirl]

32. My guess is Kraft will make them go, he loves the orange menace so much.

[Blue_Tires]

36. Quit trying to fucking pretend Trump isn't y'alls boy

Kraft, Brady and Belichick have been huge fans since day one. Now you smug assholes go to Washington and dine on your Whoppers and Chalupas from Taco Bell served on fine china with Mountain Dew in champagne flutes...

[SpankMe]

37. Tom Brady can suck my ass. n/t