At the rate we're going, Tom Brady might be the only Patriots player to visit the White House when the team heads to Washington, D.C., later this year to celebrate their victory in Super Bowl LI.
LeGarrette Blount has added himself to the list of players who won't be attending the ceremony. During an interview with Rich Eisen on Thursday, Blount said he won't go to the White House because he doesn't feel "welcome" there.
"I will NOT be going to the White House," Blount said. "I don't feel welcome in that house. I'll leave it at that."
Blount is the fifth Patriots player over the past four days to announce that he won't be visiting the White House. The Patriots running back joins teammates Martellus Bennett, Devin McCourty, Dont'a Hightower and Chris Long on New England's list of players will be skipping out on the chance to meet President Donald Trump.
Long also announced Thursday that he wouldn't be going to the White House. As for Bennett, he made the decision to skip the trip before the Patriots even won the Super Bowl.
On McCourty's end, he echoed Blount's reason, and said that he wasn't going because he wouldn't feel "accepted" there.
Hightower's explanation for skipping the ceremony is that he has already been there. The Patriots linebacker was a member of the 2014 team that visited the White House while Barack Obama was in office.
Super Bowl star James White might also skip the White House trip. The man who scored three touchdowns in the Patriots' 34-28 win over the Falcons said he'll make his decision when the time comes.
Thanks to Bill Belichick, the Patriots are almost always on the same page. However, the White House trip could lead to some tension among teammates. Belichick, Brady and owner Robert Kraft will definitely be at the White House ceremony because they're all good friends with Trump.
If Trump feels insulted by so many players skipping the visit, it wouldn't be shocking if he were to let Kraft and Belichick know. That being said, it might not be a big deal at all. Brady didn't go on the Patriots' last White House trip back in 2014 when Obama was still in office.
Brady is just one of several star athletes who have avoided a White House visit. Larry Bird and Michael Jordan also once skipped out on their White House celebrations.
