District of Columbia (CNN.com)Four more New England Patriots stated they will not be be following their team-mates to the White House after this year, where the Super Bowl 51 winners are set to be honored by President Donald Trump.
Defensive end Chris Long, running-back LeGarrette Blount, defensive tackle Alan Branch and linebacker Dont’an Hightower are joining defensive back Devin McCourty and tight end Martellus Bennett, who declared their strategies to boycott the visit early this week, citing their resistance to Trump.
Bennett and McCourty before this week mentioned political distinctions as the basis for their snub with Trump. But other Patriots have reasons that are different.
Branch, who visited the White House in 2014 when President Barack Obama was in-office, stated Wednesday that he’s heading to “hang out with the family” as an alternative.
Hightower, who also jumped the visit in 2014, told ESPN’s Mike Reiss that he is “Been there, done that.”
Long slammed a journalist who called on him to boycott the visit, tweeting that he “planned on skipping,” but “hadn’t been asked.”
“Do not require an open letter describing my own phrases to me. Not * joining anybody. My phone,” he continued.
And Blount informed Rich Eisen Thursday, “I IS NOT GOING TO be heading to the White House. I do not feel welcome in that home. I will leave it at that.”
CNN.com has has already reached out to the Patriots’ reps as well as the White House for opinion and hasn’t yet received a reply.
Patriots running back James White proposed that the visit might miss at the same time, but hasn’t made up his thoughts.
“I’ll wait ’til the time comes and decide then,” White stated on Tuesday.
Martellus Bennett, tight-end, 2-9
LeGarrette Blount, running-back, 30
Alan Branch, defensive tackle, 3 2
Dont’an Hightower, linebacker, 26
Chris Long, protection conclusion, 3 1
Devin McCourty, defensive again, 2-9
CNN Sports Correspondent Coy Wire called that “there will be more,” including gamers from university soccer, that will decline an invitation in the White House “because they’re watching their peers.”
Wire stated that throughout this tumultuous political time, “coaches within locker rooms need to make sure that everyone respects and understands the differences” to keep favorable team dynamics.
The Patriots are in a particularity intriguing place since they’ve been associated with Trump, who’s an enormous supporter along with a buddy to five-time Super Bowl champion quarterback Tom Brady, who jumped the group 2015 White House visit.
Trump declared a day prior to the general-election that the team’s head mentor, Bill Belichick along with Brady, are supporting his campaign for president.
However, design Gisele Bundchen, the foot-ball star’s spouse, bluntly refused those reviews in a social websites exchange.
Following Trump’s triumph, but the President mentioned Patriots operator Robert Kraft and Brady phoned to congratulate him.
While he failed to deny it, Brady played down the claim throughout an interview, declaring, “I call a lot of people.”
Read more: http://www.cnn.com/2017/02/10/politics/new-england-patriots-skip-white-house-donald-trump/index.html