At least six New England Patriots players will skip their traditional post-Super Bowl visit to the White House.
The decision first came from tight end Martellus Bennett, who has been vocal in his dislike of President Trump.
Defensive back Devin McCourty and linebacker Dont’a Hightower have also said they will not go to Washington, D.C., with the team.
“I’m not going to the White House,” McCourty wrote in a text message to Time this week. “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.”
On Thursday, running back Legarrette Blount and defensive tackle Alan Branch threw their names into the mix.
So did defensive end Chris Long, who was one of the first few white NFL players to publicly support Colin Kaepernick during his national anthem protests.
On Twitter, Long said he had already planned on skipping after a columnist asked him to “stand up” to Trump.
“Oh Chuck. Planned on skipping, hadn’t been asked. Don’t need an open letter explaining my own words to me. Not *joining* anyone. My call,” he tweeted.
While Blount said he would not go because he doesn’t “feel welcome in that house,” Branch and Hightower said they will be skipping the visit for non-presidential reasons.
“I’m going to hang with family and continue to celebrate until next season starts,” Branch said.
Hightower said he has basically “been-there-done-that” after having visiting twice before as a member of University of Alabama’s winning teams and the Patriots’ 2015 Super Bowl team.
Other players including running back James White and linebacker Rob Ninkovich have not committed to making the trip to 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. either.
The tradition of having championship-winning teams visit the nation’s capitol goes back to 1865, according to ESPN.
The Patriots capped off a historic comeback on Sunday to win Super Bowl 51 against the Atlanta Falcons.
