Martellus Bennett won’t visit White House if Patriots win because he doesn’t support Donald Trump

Patriots tight end Martellus Bennett will not be joining his teammates at the White House to meet President Donald Trump.

During the week leading up to the Super Bowl, Bennett did not pull any punches when a reporter asked if he would visit the White House if New England wins Super Bowl LI. He isn’t interested in meeting Trump.

“I don’t know, I’ve got to win the Super Bowl,” Bennett said. “But most likely no. I don’t support the guy that’s in the (White) House.”

After the Patriots’ comeback win, Bennett confirmed that he will not be joining his teammates at the White House.

Bennett’s was a rather different answer from the one Patriots quarterback Tom Brady gave when he was asked about President Trump’s travel ban.

Bennett had some thoughts on why he tends to be more outspoken than other players.

“Other players are worried about their personal brands,” Bennett said, via Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald.

For Bennett, his celebrity carries with it a responsibility to stand up for what he believes to be right.

“Sometimes it frustrates me because when you have a chance to change the world, you change the world,” Bennett said. “It’s not like, ‘Oh, this is my chance to change the world. I’m going to pass that up.’ If I have a chance to change the world, I’m going to do everything I can to change the world.”

Trump’s travel ban was a hot topic during Super Bowl Opening Day, and Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank did not shy away from the question.

“This country was built on inclusion and diversity, on celebration of those differences, supporting those differences, and everybody being the very best they can be in their own way,” Blank said, via NewsDay. “I’m opposed to anything that takes away from that.”

Patriots owner Robert Kraft, who has called Trump “a good friend,” declined to answer questions about the president.

”There are appropriate times to talk about that,” Kraft said, according to Eliot Shorr-Parks of New Jersey Advance Media. “I’m so privileged to be here. This is a time I’m going to keep focused.”

Brady opted to skip the Patriots’ White House visit following the win over the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl XLIX. A team representative told The Hill that Brady was unable to attend due to a family commitment.