Pats TE to boycott Trump

Bennett first to say he’ll skip champs’ trip to White House.

Teams that win championships in the NFL, major league baseball and the NBA usually get an invite from the White House, but Patriots tight end Martellus Bennett won’t be there if the team visits newly inaugurated President Donald Trump.

Bennett told reporters after Sunday night’s 34-28 overtime win against the Falcons in Super Bowl LI that he won’t attend a ceremony set to be held later this year.

“I haven’t thought about it. I am not going to go,” Bennett 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 said he is “not really worried” over any potential fallout associated with him boycotting a visit to the White House. Patriots owner Robert Kraft has expressed support for Trump, although he declined to comment on any of Trump’s policies during Super Bowl week.

Bennett, who will be a free agent next month, said he and his teammates generally avoid talking about politics in the locker room.

“You just don’t bring that to work,” he said. “We all have our beliefs. We accept people for who they are.”

Teammate Devin McCourty will join Bennett in boycotting the trip, multiple media outlets reported.

Falcons: After only one game as Alabama’s offensive coordinator, Steve Sarkisian is heading to the NFL. Less than 24 hours after Kyle Shanahan left to become coach of the 49ers, the Falcons announced Sarkisian would be his replacement.

The stunning move came with Sarkisian less than a month into what was to be his first full season running Alabama’s offense, a job he took over for the national championship game in place of Lane Kiffin. But Falcons coach Dan Quinn said he’s had his eye on Sarkisian since last spring, figuring it was only a matter of time before Shanahan moved on.

“I knew how good Kyle is,” Quinn said. “I wanted to make sure I had contingency plans in place.”

Rams: Falcons quarterbacks coach Matt LaFleur is expected to vacate that job in order to become the offensive coordinator of the Rams, ESPN reported.

LaFleur was the quarterbacks coach with the Redskins from 2010-13, where he worked with Rams coach Sean McVay as well as former Falcons offensive coordinator and new 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan. McVay said he is going to call plays, but his experience working with LaFleur will likely help as he installs his offense in the coming months.

Browns: Quarterback Josh McCown’s contract was terminated by Cleveland, which also released veteran cornerback Tramon Williams in a pair of cost-cutting moves that will clear more salary-cap space as the team prepares for free agency and the NFL draft.

The 37-year-old McCown went 1-10 in 11 starts in his two seasons. He sustained a concussion in his debut for Cleveland in 2015 and twice broke his collarbone.

Packers: Released veteran running back James Starks with a non-football injury designation, NFL Media reported.

In seven years in Green Bay, Starks led the team in rushing just once (2011), playing second fiddle to Eddie Lacy and more recently Ty Montgomery. Starks missed nine games, including the postseason, in 2016, due to separate knee and head injuries.

Bills: First-year coach Sean McDermott has hired Gill Byrd to oversee the team’s defensive backs. Byrd most recently spent the 2014-15 seasons coaching cornerbacks with the Bucs.

AP Martellus Bennett (with daughter Austyn), slated to be a free agent next month, says “I am not going to go (to the White House). I can elaborate later on in life.”