New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady will not be joining his teammates at the White House ceremony honoring the Super Bowl champions on Wednesday.
While some of his teammates are boycotting the visit citing President Trump’s policies for their decision, Brady said he will be attending to personal family matters.
“I am so happy and excited that our team is being honored at the White House today,” Brady said in a statement. “In light of some recent developments, I am unable to attend today’s ceremony, as I am attending to some personal family matters.” He also thanked the president for hosting the celebration.
Trump often touted the support of Brady and Patriots coach Bill Belichick during the campaign. Patriots owner Bob Kraft has also been the president’s guest at Mar-A-Lago, most recently when Trump hosted Japanese President Shinzo Abe at the West Palm Beach resort in Florida.
What an amazing comeback and win by the Patriots. Tom Brady, Bob Kraft and Coach B are total winners. Wow!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 6, 2017
Trump predicted the Patriots would win the Superbowl by 8 points, they went on to erase a 25-point deficit to beat the Atlanta Falcons, 34-28, in the first Super Bowl in history to go to overtime.
