New England Patriots safety Duron Harmon said Sunday he won't visit White House for a celebratory Super Bowl event, which is traditional after professional sports teams win championships. (Getty Images/Kevin C. Cox)
At least one New England Patriots player has no intention of visiting the White House to celebrate his team's big Super Bowl win.
Duron Harmon, 28, told TMZ Sports after the game that he won't join his teammates for a trip to Washington, D.C.
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"They don't want me in the White House," Harmon said.
The Patriots safety was asked if he'd meet with President Barack Obama instead — just as the Golden State Warriors did last month, in place of a meeting with President Donald Trump.
"That would be dope," Harmon, who just wrapped his sixth season with the Patriots, told the news outlet. "Hey, Obama, man, come holler at me, man, we love you over here."
Professional sports teams traditionally have been invited to the White House after winning championships to celebrate their victories. Harmon appears to be the first Patriots player to decline an expected invite from the White House.
The Boston Red Sox last October contemplated whether to visit D.C. after their World Series win; manager Alex Cora, a native of Puerto Rico, said Trump's tweets about those who died after Hurricane Maria slammed into the U.S. territory were "disrespectful." The Sox later said they'd visit the White House; no date was immediately scheduled.
Last June, Trump canceled the Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles' visit to the White House after a handful of players said they would not attend.
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The Patriots visited the White House after they won the Super Bowl in 2017, but star quarterback Tom Brady, a friend of Trump's, and other players skipped the visit. Brady also missed a visit following the Patriots' Super Bowl win in 2015, when Obama was president.
Brady at the time said "everybody has their own choice" on whether to attend, and said he hadn't been able to go in past years because of scheduling conflicts.