With Time Running Short, Patriots Unlikely to Make White House Visit

The New England Patriots won the Super Bowl on Feb. 3. Yet, as the new N.F.L. season approaches in two weeks, it is all but certain they will not have the customary congratulatory ceremony at the White House, an event that has often been tense or divisive under President Trump.

The lack of a ceremony, which both sides said has nothing to do with politics but everything to do with poor scheduling, is even more curious because the team’s owner, Robert K. Kraft, is a friend and supporter. Coach Bill Belichick wrote a letter of support to Mr. Trump days before the 2016 election. And Tom Brady, the team’s star quarterback, is known to have a relationship with Mr. Trump as well.

Yet, according to team and White House officials, scheduling conflicts have lowered the chances that the Patriots, who defeated the Los Angeles Rams for a record-tying sixth Super Bowl win, would visit. The two sides said they were unable to find a convenient date despite the president’s eagerness to have the Patriots visit.

“We would welcome them to the White House in the future should a future date work out,” a White House spokesman said.

Source: The New York Times

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