The New England Patriots travel to the White House to be lauded by President Donald Trump for winning their fifth championship in Super Bowl 51, setting up the potential for some must-watch moments of political awkwardness. Several members of the team have publicly stated they will not make the trip specifically of Trump’s presence—most recently Alan Branch, who cited Trump’s history of sexist comments as his reason for staying home.
But most of the team will be in attendance, including longtime Trump friend and quarterback Tom Brady. Brady, who did not make the Rose Garden scene when President Barack Obama hosted the team after its fourth Super Bowl win two years ago, has mostly sought to avoid answering questions about his political support for Trump--despite the fact that one of Trump's 'Make America Great Again' hats just happened to be in plain sight in his locker last year.
On the other side of the meeting will be the president who left his Super Bowl viewing party when it looked like the Patriots were being blown out by the Atlanta Falcons--that is, before the Patriots mounted their historic comeback. Back in November, as a then-underdog candidate, of course, Trump got a late boost in the form of an endorsement letter from head coach Bill Belichick that Trump read at an election-eve event in New Hampshire. Add in the fact that the team hails from one of the states that voted most heavily in favor of Trump's opponent last November and you have the recipe for an interesting ceremony indeed.
And, as if the visit wasn’t due for enough attention already, the media spotlight got turned up to scorching early Wednesday when news broke that former Patriot and convicted murderer Aaron Hernandez committed suicide in his prison cell, just days after being acquitted in a double-murder trial.
CBS Local |
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