Trump welcomes Pats; Branch, others opt out
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump welcomed the New England Patriots to the White House Wednesday, noting the parallels between his own upset victory and their stunning Super Bowl win — but avoiding discussion of the apparent prison suicide of the Patriots’ former teammate, Aaron Hernandez, earlier in the day.
As he extolled the team’s virtues and saluted individual players, the president did not name star quarterback Tom Brady, who notified the White House that he was dealing with a “personal family matter” and would not attend the ceremony. Shortly before the event, Brady posted a photo of his parents on Instagram, wishing them a happy anniversary.
More than two dozen Patriots skipped the ceremony. Several had said beforehand that they would not show for political reasons. They included defensive lineman and Albuquerque native Alan Branch, who told the Boston Globe in a story published Tuesday that he would skip the visit in part because of Trump’s sexist comments captured on an Access Hollywood video.
“I wouldn’t spend time away from my family to shake the hand of a guy I wouldn’t want to meet with or talk to,” Branch, who has three daughters and a son, told the Globe. “I can’t see myself going and then hanging out with my kids and pretending everything was all right.”
Trump hosted the five-time champions on the South Lawn and declared that “no team has been good this long.”
“It was a complete team effort. That’s the beauty of what they do, they win as a team,” said Trump, who compared the team’s 25-point comeback against Atlanta in February to his own political upset. “Pundits, boy, are they wrong a lot, aren’t they? They said you couldn’t do it.”
Casting a pall over the ceremony was the news about Hernandez, who hanged himself in a prison cell hours before the White House visit, according to Massachusetts prison officials. Hernandez, who played for the Patriots from 2010 to 2012, was serving a life sentence for a murder conviction. Days ago, the 27-year-old former tight end was acquitted of a double murder.
A team spokesman said the Patriots were aware of the reports of Hernandez’s death but the club wasn’t expected to comment. Two players were brought to speak to reporters after the White House ceremony, but both said they had not known Hernandez.
One player made an impromptu appearance at a White House press conference before the official ceremony. Tight end Rob Gronkowski stuck his head in the door of the briefing room as Press Secretary Sean Spicer was holding a televised briefing.
Gronkowski jokingly asked Spicer whether he needed any help. Spicer, an avid Patriots fan, responded: “I think I got this. But thank you.”
Trump has particularly close ties to the Patriots, counting owner Bob Kraft and head coach Bill Belichick as friends. One of Trump’s signature “Make America Great Again” hats was spotted in Brady’s locker in 2015.