The Super Bowl champion New England Patriots will make their customary visit to the White House on April 19, White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer announced Thursday.
"The New England Patriots will visit the White House to celebrate their latest and what will probably be a continuation of more to come, Super Bowl win," Spicer, a noted Patriots fan, said during his press conference.
It has become a tradition for the President of the United States to host the incumbent champion of every major North American sports league. President Barack Obama hosted the Patriots following their victory in Super Bowl XLIX against the Seattle Seahawks.
Devin McCourty, Martellus Bennett, Chris Long, LeGarrette Blount, Dont'a Hightower, and Alan Branch have all announced they won't attend the trip in protest of President Donald Trump's regime.
However, members of the Patriots have ties to Trump. Tom Brady was spotted with a "Make America Great Again" hat in his locker during the presidential campaign and has defended his friendship with Trump on several occasions.
Head coach Bill Belichick also wrote a letter to Trump to congratulate the latter on his presidential campaign - a memento the then-Republican nominee read aloud during a rally in New Hampshire on November 7. The next day, Trump defeated Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton in the election.
