Robert Kraft downplays Patriots players skipping White House visit
New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft isn’t bothered that several players plan to skip the traditional visit to the White House.
As of now, at least six Patriots have said they will not make the trip, with several citing President Donald Trump as the reason. In an appearance on NBC’s “Today Show,” Kraft – who is friendly with Trump and spent part of the weekend with him – downplayed the significance of it.
“This is our fifth Super Bowl in the last 16 years and every time we’ve had the privilege of going to the White House, a dozen of our players don’t go,” Kraft told Matt Lauer, via Ryan Wilson of CBS Sports. “This is the first time it’s gotten any media attention.
“This is America. We’re all free to do whatever’s best for us. We’re just privileged to be in a position to be going.”
To back Kraft up, at least one player who isn’t attending, Dont’a Hightower, skipped the team’s last trip as well. That said, there are definitely some politically charged reasons for some of these players who are saying no to the trip.
