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Tony Gonzalez Explains Why it's Silly for Patriots Players to Skip White House Trip
CBS Sports ^ | 2/3 | John Breech

Posted on 02/13/2017 3:48:54 PM PST by nickcarraway

The former NFL tight end makes a pretty solid point

When the Patriots make their trip to the White House later this year, there are going to be quite a few faces missing.

In the eight days since New England won Super Bowl LI, a total of six players have said that they're not going to take the trip to Washington to meet with President Donald Trump.

If you're like me and scoring at home, here is the current list of players who won't be attending the White House ceremony: Devin McCourty, Martellus Bennett, Chris Long, Dont'a Hightower, LeGarrette Blount and Alan Branch.

That's more than 10 percent of the Patriots active roster. By this time next week, it will probably be easier to list the players who are going.

The players who aren't going have made it clear that they're against Trump and his politics, which is exactly why they should go, according to Tony Gonzalez.

The CBS Sports analyst thinks that every Patriots player should attend the White House ceremony for one very interesting reason: They can voice their displeasure to Trump right to his face.

"If you've got a problem, go there and meet him. Say something. That's your opportunity to get your voice out there. To get heard," Gonzalez recently told TMZ. "When people are like, 'I would never talk to him, I would never go.' That's silly, how do you expect to move forward if you don't go."

That being said, Gonzalez is well aware that the president probably wouldn't listen if several players were to complain.

"You have a chance to go talk to him to tell him what's on your mind, maybe he'll listen. Probably not, but maybe he'll listen," Gonzalez said.

The former Chiefs and Falcons tight end never got a chance to visit the White House during his 17-year career, which might be a big reason why he thinks passing up on the trip wouldn't be a great idea.

"If they don't want to go, that's their right. For me, I think that's silly," Gonzalez said.

Patriots owner Robert Kraft doesn't seem to care that six players will be ditching out on the the White House visit. During a Monday interview on Today, Kraft said it happens all the time.

"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. "This is the first time it's gotten any media attention."

Actually, that's not completely true, Mr. Kraft. After the Patriots won Super Bowl XLIX, Tom Brady decided to skip out on the team's White House visit, and that made plenty of headlines at the time.

This time around, there's going to be even more headlines if more and more players continue to drop out.


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Extended News; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
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To: nickcarraway

President Trump should invite some wounded veterans to come meet the Patriots and take the place of the immature buttthurt jerks


21 posted on 02/13/2017 4:27:17 PM PST by silverleaf (Age takes a toll: Please have exact change)
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To: nickcarraway

LeGarrette Blount?

Oh, the tough, strong, cowardly black who likes to sucker-punch defenseless, white men?

That LeGarrette Blount? My guess is that he is afraid of the President! LOL


22 posted on 02/13/2017 4:31:04 PM PST by spel_grammer_an_punct_polise (Note to all foreigners: Please.....GET OUT and STAY OUT!)
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To: MUDDOG

One of my favorites, along with Johnny Callison who had a homer in an All-Star game to win it, iirc


23 posted on 02/13/2017 4:33:27 PM PST by bamabound (teach them how to think, not what to think!)
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To: doug from upland

Listened to it while sipping Ballentine


24 posted on 02/13/2017 4:36:10 PM PST by bamabound (teach them how to think, not what to think!)
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To: doug from upland

It’s neat having the boxscores available at baseball-reference.com.

In 1964 Gene Mauch usually batted Richie Allen and Johnny Callison second and third in the line-up, the order depending on whether a rightie or leftie were pitching. E.g., if a rightie’s pitching, bat Callison (a leftie) third, Allen (a rightie) second.

So Mauch was ahead of his time in regularly batting one of his best homerun hitters second.


25 posted on 02/13/2017 4:41:43 PM PST by MUDDOG
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To: bamabound

He’s one of my favorites too.

See Post # 25 for additional info.


26 posted on 02/13/2017 4:44:07 PM PST by MUDDOG
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To: Enterprise

You mean, Real Hero vs Fake “hero”?


27 posted on 02/13/2017 4:51:19 PM PST by the OlLine Rebel (Common sense is an uncommon virtue./Federal-run medical care is as good as state-run DMVs.)
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To: the OlLine Rebel

To me, the football players are champions of their particular sport. I don’t deride them for their choice of profession nor do I envy them for their spectacular salaries. But in reality, the military people are genuine heroes.


28 posted on 02/13/2017 4:55:13 PM PST by Enterprise ("Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities." Voltaire)
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To: nickcarraway

How was Brady an idiot?

He didn’t want to go because Obama was president then. I wouldn’t want to see Obama either.


29 posted on 02/13/2017 4:57:21 PM PST by Alas Babylon! (Keep fighting the Left and their Fake News!)
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To: nickcarraway
If you're like me and scoring at home, here is the current list of players who won't be attending the White House ceremony: Devin McCourty, Martellus Bennett, Chris Long, Dont'a Hightower, LeGarrette Blount and Alan Branch.

Any rocket scientists in that group? No?

Any brain surgeons? None of them, either?

Have we even got a petrophysicist or an actuary in that bunch? No?

Big freekin' deal, then. Let the losers stay home.
30 posted on 02/13/2017 5:35:41 PM PST by Milton Miteybad (I am Jim Thompson. {Really.})
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To: nickcarraway

Bing on a championship team doesn’t mean you are a champ!


31 posted on 02/13/2017 5:49:35 PM PST by jch10 (President Trump, President Trump, President Trump! I just love saying that!)
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To: Alas Babylon!

[I wouldn’t want to see Obama either.]

Right there with ya brother.


32 posted on 02/13/2017 5:59:28 PM PST by SaveFerris (Hebrews 13:2 Do not forget to entertain strangers, for ... some have unwittingly entertained angels)
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To: nickcarraway

Fine by me that they don’t go; I hope they don’t. A few decades from now, when their glory days are over, and they’ve likely been long forgotten, they’ll be sitting in their rocking chairs, wishing they had the memory to bore their grandkids with.


33 posted on 02/13/2017 6:07:34 PM PST by LittleBillyInfidel (This tagline has been formatted to fit the screen. Some content has been edited.)
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To: Enterprise

Or wounded warriors from Walter Reed.


34 posted on 02/13/2017 6:57:24 PM PST by 2CAVTrooper (Democrats... BETRAYING America since 1828.)
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To: MayflowerMadam

Bet she can help:

https://youtu.be/fXSLcYQHqFQ


35 posted on 02/13/2017 7:01:24 PM PST by 2CAVTrooper (Democrats... BETRAYING America since 1828.)
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To: nickcarraway

some name for that team, huh? Patriots? HAAA!!!!

Someone should sue them for that one. Make it the FauXPatriots. Their egos are as inflated as or deflated as Brady’s ‘balls.


36 posted on 02/13/2017 7:29:01 PM PST by NormsRevenge (Semper Fi - Monthly Donors Rock!!!)
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To: All

Brady and Belichik are going, that is all that matters.


37 posted on 02/14/2017 5:26:52 AM PST by Maverick68
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