Stay Connected
Atlanta Black Star/Video/News Video
News VideoVideo

Skip Bayless Fails Miserably to Convince Nelly That Patriots Players Should Make White House Visit

Posted byBy Ricky Riley | Published on: CommentsComments (0)

After a group of New England Patriots decided not to visit the White House, Nelly blamed quarterback Tom Brady for creating a team culture where players could skip the White House after their recent Super Bowl win over the Atlanta Falcons.

During the Wednesday, Feb. 8, telecast of Fox Sports One’s “Undisputed,” the St. Louis rapper said Brady is inadvertently responsible for the growing number of Patriots players who will not go to President Donald Trump’s White House.

“I love Tom Brady and I’m not faulting his decision to skip the Obama White House visit. But, he opened this box,” Nelly opines. “As a player, that’s not on me to go to the White House. I did my job. Going to the White House, I don’t get paid for. I’m done, I did my job.”

In 2015, Brady decided not to visit the White House near the end of former President Barack Obama’s presidency. The now 5-time Super Bowl champion claimed he had a prescheduled “family commitment,” however he was spotted working out at the stadium and later, shopping for watches at an Apple store.

As of this report, five Patriots have announced plans to skip the ceremonial visit. The most vocal has been tight end Martellus Bennett, who cited political differences.

When asked in a press conference immediately following the Patriots’ historic win, Bennett told reporters he was not concerned about possible backlash from owner Robert Kraft. “I’m not really worried about that,” he said with a laugh. “I’m not worried about it at all. It’s still my belief, I think they believe in … whatever I wanna do, I think they believe in that, so I ain’t really worried about that.”

Devin McCourty, Dontá Hightower, LeGarette Blount and Chris Long have followed suit, saying they will not attend because of political reasons.

Independent journalism doesn't fund itself.

We hope this story was worth your time. For over 14 years, Atlanta Black Star has stayed Black-owned and independently run. We didn't get here by waiting on ad budgets that were never built to prioritize us. Our readers did that.

Corporate support for Black media has always been thin. Outlets like ours get roughly 1% of the $170 billion spent on U.S. advertising each year, and that margin is shrinking further as advertisers walk back the DEI-linked commitments they made in 2020. That's the backdrop. It's not why we're asking.

We know a request for support isn't why you came here. But without readers choosing to fund this work directly, the depth of reporting we can do at home and abroad shrinks along with everyone else's. If you're not in a position to give, that doesn't change how much we value you as a reader.

If you are able to, a recurring contribution does more for us than a single one-time gift, because it lets us plan the next investigation instead of just the next invoice. It takes about 30 seconds, no long form, no account. Thank you for continuing to support independent journalism and freedom of the press.

Give once Give monthly Support another way

Related Stories

Back to top