Patriots Visiting White House Today; Several Players Skipping Trip

The Patriots visit the White House today to celebrate their Super Bowl victory, and “cozying up” to Tom Brady and company will give President Trump a “brief reprieve from the turbulent news cycle of his administration” (BOSTON GLOBE, 4/19). Patriots DT Alan Branch is among several players not making the trip. He said that comments Trump made during an “Access Hollywood” interview “sparked the decision not to visit” the White House. Branch said that the team “has not pressured him to change his mind.” Other players not attending include former TE Martellus Bennett, LB Dont’a Hightower and free-agent RB LeGarrette Blount (PROFOOTBALLTALK.com, 4/19). The visit will come just hours after former Patriots TE Aaron Hernandez hanged himself in his jail cell (Mult., 4/19).

There has been “some buzz” that White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer, a noted Patriots fan, “will be hanging out” today with WEEI-FM’s Gerry Callahan and Kirk Minihane (BOSTON HERALD, 4/19).