New England Patriots tight end Martellus Bennett is not shy about giving his opinion on a variety of topics, including politics. When asked during an entertaining, hour-long interview if he would join a traditional visit to the White House if the Patriots beat the Falcons in Super Bowl LI, Bennett told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram that he's focused on winning first, but most likely he would not attend.
When pressed for a reason why, Bennett said, "I don't support the guy that's in the House."
It looks like Bennet intends to stick to those plans.
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CNN reported that Bennett is indeed not going with his teammates to the White House.
"I haven't thought about it. I am not going to go," the New England Patriots tight end said after his team's historic Super Bowl LI win. "I can elaborate later on in life; right now I am just trying to enjoy this ... People know how I feel about it, just follow me on Twitter."
One tweet included criticism of Kanye West for meeting with then-President-elect Donald Trump in December.
Bennet said he is "not really worried" about backlash from team owner Robert Kraft, who is friends with Trump. He said he and his teammates keep politics out of the locker room.
"You just don't bring that to work," he said. "We all have our beliefs. We accept people for who they are."
Patriots star quarterback Tom Brady skipped a White House team visit with President Obama in 2015, after the Patriots won Super Bowl XLIX. At the time Brady said he had a previously arranged "family commitment," but there was speculation that Brady was upset at a Deflategate joke made by then-White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest.
Brady's friendly relationship with President Trump has been getting buzz lately, but Brady remains tight-lipped. He refused to discuss politics during Super Bowl week.
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