After the New England Patriots won their historic, come-from-behind victory in this past Sunday’s Super Bowl, tight end Martellus Bennett told reporters that he wouldn’t be attending the traditional visit to the White House. Historically, sitting presidents invite the professional sports teams to visit the White House for a press op after they have won a championship in their respective sport.
"I haven't thought about it. I am not going to go," the New England Patriots tight end said. "I can elaborate later on in life; right now I am just trying to enjoy this ... People know how I feel about it, just follow me on Twitter."
Bennett added that he is "not really worried" about potential backlash over skipping the White House visit from the team's owner, Robert Kraft, and said that he and his teammates avoid talking politics in the locker room.
"I'm not going to the White House," McCourty told TIME on Monday in a 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."
McCourty added: "I can't imagine a way I go there."
Here are the two men in protest during the the National Anthem this season, in solidarity with San Francisco 49er Colin Kaepernick’s protest of civil injustice.
While the rumblings of a backlash begin, many people decided to remind all of these “America first” patriots about the time that Patriots quarterback Tom Brady skipped out on visiting President Obama’s White House, without the backbone to give a real reason.
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 ESPN.com, the Patriots quarterback was actually at Gillette Stadium getting some stretching in while the rest of the team was visiting with Obama.
And then of course there was this image from the same day.
So when your racist friend tells you all about how “disrespectful” these two men are for skipping out on visiting the most white supremacy White House in decades, remind them that the “GOAT” football player was too much of a coward to say he just didn’t want to go.