Whats the big deal?...Lots of players did the same with Obama.
Patriots Chris Long, Devin McCourty, Dont'a Hightower & Martellus Bennett Won't Visit Trump
- Thread starter playahaitian
- Start date
shyt, aint mad at them..... just would have been better if Marty B. caught the winning TD.....
Chris Long says he won't be going to the White House with the Patriots
Long is the fourth Patriots player to say he will not visit President Donald Trump
New England Patriots defensive end Chris Long will not be going to the White House with the New England Patriots whenever they make their trip.
Long responded on Twitter to an open letter written to him by Chuck Modiano of the New York Daily News, stating that he had already intended to not go to the White House and did not need to be told not to go -- he just hadn't yet been asked about the matter. Long also made sure to note that he was not joining teammates Martellus Bennett, Devin McCourty and Dont'a Hightower in refusing to go to the White House, but making his own decision not go. (Click here to see Bennett's explanation, here for McCourty's, and here for Hightower's.)
Follow
Chris Long
✔@JOEL9ONE
Oh Chuck. Planned on skipping, hadn't been asked. Don't need an open letter explaining my own words to me. Not *joining* anyone. My call. https://twitter.com/nydnsports/status/829699816263401480 …
10:25 AM - 9 Feb 2017
Long's reason for not going -- based on his previous comments about race relations in America and the way he responded to the open letter -- is seemingly the same as his teammates' reason: They do not support the presidency or policies of President Donald Trump. The four Patriots who have announced they won't visit the White House are not the first to skip the visit (Tom Brady didn't go to see President Obama two years ago), and they almost certainly will not be the last.
Long is the fourth Patriots player to say he will not visit President Donald Trump
New England Patriots defensive end Chris Long will not be going to the White House with the New England Patriots whenever they make their trip.
Long responded on Twitter to an open letter written to him by Chuck Modiano of the New York Daily News, stating that he had already intended to not go to the White House and did not need to be told not to go -- he just hadn't yet been asked about the matter. Long also made sure to note that he was not joining teammates Martellus Bennett, Devin McCourty and Dont'a Hightower in refusing to go to the White House, but making his own decision not go. (Click here to see Bennett's explanation, here for McCourty's, and here for Hightower's.)
Follow
Chris Long ✔@JOEL9ONE
Oh Chuck. Planned on skipping, hadn't been asked. Don't need an open letter explaining my own words to me. Not *joining* anyone. My call. https://twitter.com/nydnsports/status/829699816263401480 …
10:25 AM - 9 Feb 2017
- https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?in_reply_to=829712915532042240
1,0341,034 Retweets
3,2353,235 likes
Long's reason for not going -- based on his previous comments about race relations in America and the way he responded to the open letter -- is seemingly the same as his teammates' reason: They do not support the presidency or policies of President Donald Trump. The four Patriots who have announced they won't visit the White House are not the first to skip the visit (Tom Brady didn't go to see President Obama two years ago), and they almost certainly will not be the last.
Low key shitted on Brady.
Since a white boy is not going I want to see what the media says nowChris Long says he won't be going to the White House with the Patriots
Long is the fourth Patriots player to say he will not visit President Donald Trump
New England Patriots defensive end Chris Long will not be going to the White House with the New England Patriots whenever they make their trip.
Long responded on Twitter to an open letter written to him by Chuck Modiano of the New York Daily News, stating that he had already intended to not go to the White House and did not need to be told not to go -- he just hadn't yet been asked about the matter. Long also made sure to note that he was not joining teammates Martellus Bennett, Devin McCourty and Dont'a Hightower in refusing to go to the White House, but making his own decision not go. (Click here to see Bennett's explanation, here for McCourty's, and here for Hightower's.)
Follow
✔@JOEL9ONE
Oh Chuck. Planned on skipping, hadn't been asked. Don't need an open letter explaining my own words to me. Not *joining* anyone. My call. https://twitter.com/nydnsports/status/829699816263401480 …
10:25 AM - 9 Feb 2017
Long's reason for not going -- based on his previous comments about race relations in America and the way he responded to the open letter -- is seemingly the same as his teammates' reason: They do not support the presidency or policies of President Donald Trump. The four Patriots who have announced they won't visit the White House are not the first to skip the visit (Tom Brady didn't go to see President Obama two years ago), and they almost certainly will not be the last.
Let's see,if Stephen Coon Smith gotta say about Chris Long not going,because he loves kissing white folks ass.......
Damn. Best thing that happened about the Patriots winning the Super Bowl. Moving forward I do believe the entire NBA will boycott the White House while Trump and Pence is in charge. 
Chris Long is a stand up guy
Don't forget
http://www.espn.com/blog/new-englan...ares-perspective-on-colin-kaepernicks-protest
Don't forget
http://www.espn.com/blog/new-englan...ares-perspective-on-colin-kaepernicks-protest
Add LeGarrette Blount to the list.
but here is the NEXT thing
we have a delusional petty narcissistic vengeful spiteful tantrum throwing child in the oval office...
what is he going to SAY and DO to those who don't attend?
On that day and on twitter?
I liked Chris Long since he was with the Rams.
Really like him knowing that he is saying fuck Trump.
Really like him knowing that he is saying fuck Trump.
Stand up to Trump with your Patriots teammates: An open letter to Chris Long
Dear Chris Long,
In September it was time for you to speak up — and you did. And now it is time for you to standup — and you should.
You are receiving this open letter with the hope that you will publicly refuse to visit Donald Trump's White House and show solidarity with your teammates Martellus Bennett, Devin McCourty and Dont'a Hightower — all of whom will sit the visit out.
You are receiving it because in a pathetic sea of NFL white silence this year, you are one of the only white NFL athletes who publicly seemed to "get it" after Colin Kaepernick took his national anthem stand.
You are receiving it because your extended words on Kaepernick's stance conveyed a level of respect, sincerity, and acknowledgement of white privilege rarely ever expressed by a white NFL player.
After hearing your words, Colin spoke of the value of having white athletes speak out and expressed his deep appreciation. He said:
"I think it was huge that Chris stood up and took that stand. I don't know if he realizes how much that means to this movement and trying to get things changed."
But Colin also expressed that your verbal solidarity did not get the attention it deserved. Kaepernick said:
"I saw Chris Long spoke out about it, but no one wants to talk about what he said and him bringing that to the forefront and speaking out against it."
Colin is correct. Your ESPN interview largely flew under the radar. Instead of discussing what you said, most outlets simply reprinted your "perspective" and "thoughts" without framing or commentary.
So before we get back to the White House, let's identify the key points that stood out:
1. You showed respect and empathy for Kaepernick and NFL peers
"I respect my peers. I respect Colin. Colin really put his reputation on the line and he's taken a beating. I'm just going to listen to my peers because I respect those guys, and I can't put myself in their shoes. I'm proud of my teammates for standing up for what they believe in."
2. You separated your own personal anthem stance rather than impose it on Kaepernick
"I respect the anthem. I would never kneel for it. We all come from different walks of life and think differently about the anthem and the flag and what that means. But I think you can respect and find a lot of truth in what these guys are talking about, and not kneel. Those aren't mutually exclusive ideas."
Chris, can you give Drew Brees a call, and explain "mutual exclusivity" in greater detail?
3. You also identify oppression as "systemic" and an individual desire to improve them
"If we're saying there are incidents of oppression in this country, systematically or individually in this country, I don't think saying, 'Well, in country X, Y or Z it's 10 times worse' is making things any better. I think that may be true, but why can't we improve?
"Systemically" is just one word, and can get lost in the sauce. But it includes police oppression, mass incarceration, education system, housing, as well as banning Muslims. Thanks for including it.
4. You identify hypocrisy between perceived symbolic support for military, but not actual support
"We're concerned about the feelings of our vets, and I certainly am, but let's treat our vets better on a daily basis. Why aren't we outraged about the lack of benefits they get? How do we treat our vets when they come home? We should be outraged about those things on a daily basis."
This last point was critically important as United States Veterans like Walter Scott, India Kager, Richard Chamberlain — all killed by police after they returned home. Yes, we should be outraged.
5. You acknowledge your white privilege
"I don't think that by acknowledging as a white male that America isn't the same for me, maybe, as it is for everybody, the same great place, that we're complicit in the problem or that we're saying America isn't a great place."
… However, that white complicity part is always dependent on level of silence.
6. You respect the values, intelligence, perspective and courage of your teammates
"I play in a league that's 70% black, and my peers, guys I come to work with, guys I respect, who are very socially aware, intellectual guys, if they identify something that they think is worth putting their reputations on the line, creating controversy, I'm going to listen to those guys."
Keep on listening Chris. This is what your Pro Bowl teammate Devin McCourty said on Monday:
"I don't feel accepted in the White House" he wrote in a text message to TIME. "With the president having so many strong opinions and prejudices I believe certain people might feel accepted there while others won't."
McCourty, and now Hightower aren't just anybody, but two of the Patriots’ best defensive players and defensive team captains. Will you follow their leadership?
Martellus Bennett was the first Patriot to announce he would not go. Bennett told the Dallas Morning-News, "People know how I feel about it. Just follow me on Twitter.” OK, let’s follow Bennett on Twitter.
Tuesday he treated us to a 90-minute tweet storm that contained a delightful series of tweets on youth empowerment ("You don't have to be good at sports young man. Go upstairs and finish practicing that trombone), and rebuking those who say "stick to sports." Bennett tweeted: "I'm going to speak my mind because guess what… that's right for a looonngg time my ancestors didn't have a voice."
After Bennett and McCourty announced their stance, Rolling Stone ran the headline "More Black New England Patriots Players Say They Won't Visit Trump."
This headline, which specifies 'Black' is both accurate, but also very sad commentary on white NFL players. The moral bar has been set so low for white athletes that nothing is expected.
Overall, at least 48 NFL players, including Bennett and McCourty, have knelt, sat, or raised a fist during the national anthem on game day, none of them were white.
And to my knowledge, you were the only one to provide clear thoughtful verbal solidarity in its place.
And now there is President Donald Trump.
Trump is an easy call.
Trump should eliminate many of the conflicted issues that kneeling for the anthem might raise.
For many players, kneeling for the anthem was a bold personal step.
Refusing to visit Trump is not.
Never mind that your quarterback Tom Brady, your coach Bill Belichick, and your owner Robert Kraft have all expressed support for Trump.
From your past comments, you know damn well that they are all wrong.
Not only wrong, but dangerous.
While you were celebrating, Ex-KKK grand wizard David Duke tweeted: "Can White people celebrate that the greatest football player in NFL history is White and an open Trump supporter?" #SuperBowl
The Patriots are quite popular with white supremacists.
Neo-Nazi Richard Spencer, the man who coined the more respectable term "Alt-Right" tweeted: "Brady and Belichick are about to win bigly for Trump, the #AltRight, and White America!"
In a normal universe, this would be extremist fringe talk instead of public policy. But Trump has gone "full-Nazi" in hiring Steve Bannon as his Chief Strategist, and has been "systemically" implementing white nationalistic policies ever since.
It is time for you to stand up in solidarity with your black teammates against Trump.
As Brady knows himself, skipping presidential visits is nothing new, but boldly declaring why is still rare.
The Trump support from Tom, Bill, and Robert did not stop Martellus, a first-time Patriot like yourself, from taking his stand.
Here is what Martellus's brother Michael Bennett of the Seahawks said earlier this year.
"You need a white guy to join the fight," Bennett told the Seattle Times. "The white guy is super important to the fight. For people to really see social injustices, there must be someone from the other side of the race who recognizes the problem."
Bennett's principle still applies, but the anthem barriers you stated do not.
You recognized the problem. Now it's time to act on it, and stand up to Trump with your black teammates.
That time is right now.
Sincerely.
Chuck
P.S.
Saw your great tweet: "Flint should piss us all off (understatement). I hope we as NFL players can help in the future." Me too. Through your foundation's WaterBoys initiative aimed at providing clean water in rural East Africa. Would be great if Flint becomes your next stop.
http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/f...e=twitter.com&utm_campaign=NYDNSports+Twitter
Dear Chris Long,
In September it was time for you to speak up — and you did. And now it is time for you to standup — and you should.
You are receiving this open letter with the hope that you will publicly refuse to visit Donald Trump's White House and show solidarity with your teammates Martellus Bennett, Devin McCourty and Dont'a Hightower — all of whom will sit the visit out.
You are receiving it because in a pathetic sea of NFL white silence this year, you are one of the only white NFL athletes who publicly seemed to "get it" after Colin Kaepernick took his national anthem stand.
You are receiving it because your extended words on Kaepernick's stance conveyed a level of respect, sincerity, and acknowledgement of white privilege rarely ever expressed by a white NFL player.
After hearing your words, Colin spoke of the value of having white athletes speak out and expressed his deep appreciation. He said:
"I think it was huge that Chris stood up and took that stand. I don't know if he realizes how much that means to this movement and trying to get things changed."
But Colin also expressed that your verbal solidarity did not get the attention it deserved. Kaepernick said:
"I saw Chris Long spoke out about it, but no one wants to talk about what he said and him bringing that to the forefront and speaking out against it."
Colin is correct. Your ESPN interview largely flew under the radar. Instead of discussing what you said, most outlets simply reprinted your "perspective" and "thoughts" without framing or commentary.
So before we get back to the White House, let's identify the key points that stood out:
1. You showed respect and empathy for Kaepernick and NFL peers
"I respect my peers. I respect Colin. Colin really put his reputation on the line and he's taken a beating. I'm just going to listen to my peers because I respect those guys, and I can't put myself in their shoes. I'm proud of my teammates for standing up for what they believe in."
2. You separated your own personal anthem stance rather than impose it on Kaepernick
"I respect the anthem. I would never kneel for it. We all come from different walks of life and think differently about the anthem and the flag and what that means. But I think you can respect and find a lot of truth in what these guys are talking about, and not kneel. Those aren't mutually exclusive ideas."
Chris, can you give Drew Brees a call, and explain "mutual exclusivity" in greater detail?
3. You also identify oppression as "systemic" and an individual desire to improve them
"If we're saying there are incidents of oppression in this country, systematically or individually in this country, I don't think saying, 'Well, in country X, Y or Z it's 10 times worse' is making things any better. I think that may be true, but why can't we improve?
"Systemically" is just one word, and can get lost in the sauce. But it includes police oppression, mass incarceration, education system, housing, as well as banning Muslims. Thanks for including it.
4. You identify hypocrisy between perceived symbolic support for military, but not actual support
"We're concerned about the feelings of our vets, and I certainly am, but let's treat our vets better on a daily basis. Why aren't we outraged about the lack of benefits they get? How do we treat our vets when they come home? We should be outraged about those things on a daily basis."
This last point was critically important as United States Veterans like Walter Scott, India Kager, Richard Chamberlain — all killed by police after they returned home. Yes, we should be outraged.
5. You acknowledge your white privilege
"I don't think that by acknowledging as a white male that America isn't the same for me, maybe, as it is for everybody, the same great place, that we're complicit in the problem or that we're saying America isn't a great place."
… However, that white complicity part is always dependent on level of silence.
6. You respect the values, intelligence, perspective and courage of your teammates
"I play in a league that's 70% black, and my peers, guys I come to work with, guys I respect, who are very socially aware, intellectual guys, if they identify something that they think is worth putting their reputations on the line, creating controversy, I'm going to listen to those guys."
Keep on listening Chris. This is what your Pro Bowl teammate Devin McCourty said on Monday:
"I don't feel accepted in the White House" he wrote in a text message to TIME. "With the president having so many strong opinions and prejudices I believe certain people might feel accepted there while others won't."
McCourty, and now Hightower aren't just anybody, but two of the Patriots’ best defensive players and defensive team captains. Will you follow their leadership?
Martellus Bennett was the first Patriot to announce he would not go. Bennett told the Dallas Morning-News, "People know how I feel about it. Just follow me on Twitter.” OK, let’s follow Bennett on Twitter.
Tuesday he treated us to a 90-minute tweet storm that contained a delightful series of tweets on youth empowerment ("You don't have to be good at sports young man. Go upstairs and finish practicing that trombone), and rebuking those who say "stick to sports." Bennett tweeted: "I'm going to speak my mind because guess what… that's right for a looonngg time my ancestors didn't have a voice."
After Bennett and McCourty announced their stance, Rolling Stone ran the headline "More Black New England Patriots Players Say They Won't Visit Trump."
This headline, which specifies 'Black' is both accurate, but also very sad commentary on white NFL players. The moral bar has been set so low for white athletes that nothing is expected.
Overall, at least 48 NFL players, including Bennett and McCourty, have knelt, sat, or raised a fist during the national anthem on game day, none of them were white.
And to my knowledge, you were the only one to provide clear thoughtful verbal solidarity in its place.
And now there is President Donald Trump.
Trump is an easy call.
Trump should eliminate many of the conflicted issues that kneeling for the anthem might raise.
For many players, kneeling for the anthem was a bold personal step.
Refusing to visit Trump is not.
Never mind that your quarterback Tom Brady, your coach Bill Belichick, and your owner Robert Kraft have all expressed support for Trump.
From your past comments, you know damn well that they are all wrong.
Not only wrong, but dangerous.
While you were celebrating, Ex-KKK grand wizard David Duke tweeted: "Can White people celebrate that the greatest football player in NFL history is White and an open Trump supporter?" #SuperBowl
The Patriots are quite popular with white supremacists.
Neo-Nazi Richard Spencer, the man who coined the more respectable term "Alt-Right" tweeted: "Brady and Belichick are about to win bigly for Trump, the #AltRight, and White America!"
In a normal universe, this would be extremist fringe talk instead of public policy. But Trump has gone "full-Nazi" in hiring Steve Bannon as his Chief Strategist, and has been "systemically" implementing white nationalistic policies ever since.
It is time for you to stand up in solidarity with your black teammates against Trump.
As Brady knows himself, skipping presidential visits is nothing new, but boldly declaring why is still rare.
The Trump support from Tom, Bill, and Robert did not stop Martellus, a first-time Patriot like yourself, from taking his stand.
Here is what Martellus's brother Michael Bennett of the Seahawks said earlier this year.
"You need a white guy to join the fight," Bennett told the Seattle Times. "The white guy is super important to the fight. For people to really see social injustices, there must be someone from the other side of the race who recognizes the problem."
Bennett's principle still applies, but the anthem barriers you stated do not.
You recognized the problem. Now it's time to act on it, and stand up to Trump with your black teammates.
That time is right now.
Sincerely.
Chuck
P.S.
Saw your great tweet: "Flint should piss us all off (understatement). I hope we as NFL players can help in the future." Me too. Through your foundation's WaterBoys initiative aimed at providing clean water in rural East Africa. Would be great if Flint becomes your next stop.
http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/f...e=twitter.com&utm_campaign=NYDNSports+Twitter
That's exactly my sentiments too. EVERY black player should say "Fuck Trump" and not go and kiss that bitches ring.
That basically sums it up.
http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/eye-on...with-obama-because-hes-mad-at-the-white-house
When the New England Patriots took a visit to the White House on April 23 to celebrate the team's Super Bowl win, there was one notable absence: Tom Brady.
According to the Patriots, Brady skipped out on the White House visit because he had a previously planned "family commitment."
As it turns out though, Brady wasn't with his family when the Patriots went to Washington DC on the morning of April 23. According to ESPN.com, the Patriots quarterback was actually at Gillette Stadium getting some stretching in while the rest of the team was visiting with Obama.
Less than 24 hours later, Brady was at an Apple Store in New York City checking out the company's new Apple watch.
So if Brady had time to workout at Gillette Stadium AND drive to New York City to shop, you might be wondering: Why didn't he make the trip to the White House.
According to the Boston Herald, it's very possible that Brady's still bitter about a Deflategate joke the White House made after a Brady press conference in January -- and because of that joke, he decided not to attend the April 23 festivities.
After the 40-minute press conference in January, a press conference where Brady never sounded completely sure of himself, White House press secretary Josh Earnest released a statement insinuating that Brady wasn't very good at lying.
"The one thing I can tell you is that for years it's been clear that there is no risk that I was going to take Tom Brady's job as quarterback of the New England Patriots," Earnest said. "But I can tell you that as of today, it's pretty clear that there's no risk of him taking my job, either."
Apparently, that statement rubbed Brady the wrong way.
There had been speculation that Brady missed the trip because of his parents' 50th wedding anniversary, but it turns out that they've only been married for 46 years, according to the Herald.
Whatever the reason was that prompted Brady to skip the White House visit, it didn't sit well with ESPN's Steven A. Smith.
"So Tom Brady couldn't attend, huh? So Tom Brady couldn't attend," Smith said on the April 24 edition of First Take. "But was he there in 2001 when George W. Bush was president? Yes. Was he there in 2003 and 2004? I'm not sure about anything, I'm just simply presenting the question because I got a problem with the fact that the franchise quarterback... the face of New England Patriots, the future Hall of Famer and all of this other stuff. Tom Brady can't do anything wrong. He passes gas as perfume, OK. That's how untouchable Tom Brady is but when George W. Bush was president in 2001, 2003, 2004, Tom Brady was there. Tom Brady was there at the White House celebrating."
Smith seemed to insinuate that Brady didn't show up because Obama's president.
No matter what the reason was though, it's probably a good thing Brady didn't show up because if he didn't like Earnests' joke in January, he probably wouldn't have liked Obama's Deflategate joke this time around.
When the New England Patriots took a visit to the White House on April 23 to celebrate the team's Super Bowl win, there was one notable absence: Tom Brady.
According to the Patriots, Brady skipped out on the White House visit because he had a previously planned "family commitment."
As it turns out though, Brady wasn't with his family when the Patriots went to Washington DC on the morning of April 23. According to ESPN.com, the Patriots quarterback was actually at Gillette Stadium getting some stretching in while the rest of the team was visiting with Obama.
Less than 24 hours later, Brady was at an Apple Store in New York City checking out the company's new Apple watch.
So if Brady had time to workout at Gillette Stadium AND drive to New York City to shop, you might be wondering: Why didn't he make the trip to the White House.
According to the Boston Herald, it's very possible that Brady's still bitter about a Deflategate joke the White House made after a Brady press conference in January -- and because of that joke, he decided not to attend the April 23 festivities.
After the 40-minute press conference in January, a press conference where Brady never sounded completely sure of himself, White House press secretary Josh Earnest released a statement insinuating that Brady wasn't very good at lying.
"The one thing I can tell you is that for years it's been clear that there is no risk that I was going to take Tom Brady's job as quarterback of the New England Patriots," Earnest said. "But I can tell you that as of today, it's pretty clear that there's no risk of him taking my job, either."
Apparently, that statement rubbed Brady the wrong way.
There had been speculation that Brady missed the trip because of his parents' 50th wedding anniversary, but it turns out that they've only been married for 46 years, according to the Herald.
Whatever the reason was that prompted Brady to skip the White House visit, it didn't sit well with ESPN's Steven A. Smith.
"So Tom Brady couldn't attend, huh? So Tom Brady couldn't attend," Smith said on the April 24 edition of First Take. "But was he there in 2001 when George W. Bush was president? Yes. Was he there in 2003 and 2004? I'm not sure about anything, I'm just simply presenting the question because I got a problem with the fact that the franchise quarterback... the face of New England Patriots, the future Hall of Famer and all of this other stuff. Tom Brady can't do anything wrong. He passes gas as perfume, OK. That's how untouchable Tom Brady is but when George W. Bush was president in 2001, 2003, 2004, Tom Brady was there. Tom Brady was there at the White House celebrating."
Smith seemed to insinuate that Brady didn't show up because Obama's president.
No matter what the reason was though, it's probably a good thing Brady didn't show up because if he didn't like Earnests' joke in January, he probably wouldn't have liked Obama's Deflategate joke this time around.
Alan Branch just pulled out too. They dropping like flies.
Tom Brady on teammates skipping White House: “That’s their choice”
Posted by Michael David Smith on February 14, 2017, 8:44 AM EST
Patriots quarterback Tom Brady has no problem with teammates skipping their visit to the White House.
Brady has called President Trump a friend, but several Patriots have said they will not go because they oppose Trump’s policies. Brady skipped the Patriots’ only White House visit during the Obama years, but he said this morning on PFT Live that had nothing to do with politics.
“Everybody has their own choice,” Brady said. “There’s certain years, like a couple years ago, I wanted to go and didn’t get the opportunity based on the schedule — we didn’t get told until I think like 10 days before we were going, and at that point I had something I’d been planning for months and couldn’t get there.”
The Patriots won three Super Bowls when George W. Bush was president, and Brady also went to the Bill Clinton White House in college when Michigan won the national championship. He considers it a valuable experience, but he understands that not everyone will make it.
“It really is a great experience,” Brady said. “Putting politics aside, it never was a political thing. At least, it never was to me. It meant you won a championship and you got to experience something cool with your team, with your teammates. Everyone has their own choice. It’s an offseason. These days are valuable for everybody. You only get so much time with your family and friends, and if people don’t want to go they don’t want to go and that’s their choice.”
Players miss the White House visit every year, but this year is fundamentally different because players are specifically tying their plans to skip the visit with their opposition to Trump. Brady sounds OK with that, even if he and Trump are golfing buddies.
http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.co...ates-skipping-white-house-thats-their-choice/
Posted by Michael David Smith on February 14, 2017, 8:44 AM EST
Patriots quarterback Tom Brady has no problem with teammates skipping their visit to the White House.
Brady has called President Trump a friend, but several Patriots have said they will not go because they oppose Trump’s policies. Brady skipped the Patriots’ only White House visit during the Obama years, but he said this morning on PFT Live that had nothing to do with politics.
“Everybody has their own choice,” Brady said. “There’s certain years, like a couple years ago, I wanted to go and didn’t get the opportunity based on the schedule — we didn’t get told until I think like 10 days before we were going, and at that point I had something I’d been planning for months and couldn’t get there.”
The Patriots won three Super Bowls when George W. Bush was president, and Brady also went to the Bill Clinton White House in college when Michigan won the national championship. He considers it a valuable experience, but he understands that not everyone will make it.
“It really is a great experience,” Brady said. “Putting politics aside, it never was a political thing. At least, it never was to me. It meant you won a championship and you got to experience something cool with your team, with your teammates. Everyone has their own choice. It’s an offseason. These days are valuable for everybody. You only get so much time with your family and friends, and if people don’t want to go they don’t want to go and that’s their choice.”
Players miss the White House visit every year, but this year is fundamentally different because players are specifically tying their plans to skip the visit with their opposition to Trump. Brady sounds OK with that, even if he and Trump are golfing buddies.
http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.co...ates-skipping-white-house-thats-their-choice/
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