Two players for the New England Patriots say they'll skip a traditional post-Super Bowl White House visit to meet President Donald Trump – a partisan snub with a long history.
Tight end Martellus Bennett had warned pre-Super Bowl that he wouldn't likely visit if his team won because he doesn't support Trump and confirmed that after the win, saying he doesn't care what Robert Kraft – a friend of Trump, as is quarterback Tom Brady and coach Bill Belicheck – thinks.
Patriots safety Devin McCourty also declined, telling Time magazine in a text that "I don't feel accepted in the White House."
They aren't alone in the annals of NFL White House snubs.
Brady skipped the team's White House visit in 2015 without providing a solid explanation for his absence, CBS Sports noted.
Brock Osweiler, the former Denver Broncos and current Houston Texans quarterback skipped last year's visit, and Matt Birk, the Baltimore Ravens center, skipped the trip in 2013, CBS Sports reported.
CBS Sports noted that in basketball, Michael Jordan skipped a visit to the White House to meet President George H.W. Bush with the Chicago Bulls in 1991, and the Boston Celtics' Larry Bird snubbed President Ronald Reagan in 1984.
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