A relatively large contingent of Patriots players, coaches and staff traveled to Washington on Wednesday for the traditional visit with the President at the White House afforded to annual champions across all sports. Patriots.com was along for the ride!
Though there was plenty of chatter regarding the number and notoriety of players in attendance – Tom Brady was among those absent from the day's events – the White House ceremony and tour of Washington was enjoyed by all.
The Boston Globe reported Brady’s absence from the trip Wednesday morning. The Globe declared that some players' boycotting and Brady not being there worked to “undermine the stagecraft” of the visit. The Globe looks at photos from the visit, which turned into a big topic on social media thanks to a very misleading comparison put out by the New York Times. Globe columnist Dan Shaughnessy declared Wednesday an “unprecedented day” in Boston sports history, for a variety of reasons.
The Boston Herald passes along President Donald Trump telling the story of the infamous pre-election letter that Bill Belichick sent him last fall. Herald *columnist Steve Buckley writes that the news of Aaron Hernandez’s apparent suicide cast a cloud over the White House trip. The *Herald notes that the highlight of the day may have been Rob Gronkowski crashing Sean Spicer’s official White House briefing. Herald columnist Ron Borges says we'll never really know what motivated Hernandez. The Herald's Patriots prospect series looks at Tennessee cornerback Cameron Sutton. The Herald notes that the Rams claimed recently-released former Patriots guard Tre’ Jackson.
The Providence Journal has its view of the Patriots getting the Presidential salute.
ESPNBoston.com is excited about the NFL schedule that’s set to be released on Thursday night. ESPNBoston.com looks at the *New York Times’* White House photo controversy. ESPNBoston.com notes a few cornerbacks who might fit the Patriots draft needs, including a pair of Florida Gators. ESPNBoston.com passes along Patriots receiver Malcolm Mitchell saying it “it almost brought me to tears” to be mentioned by the President.
WEEI.com passes along a letter that that Patriots backup quarterback Jacoby Brissett sent to former President Barack Obama via social media. WEEI.com believes that the Patriots draft preparations suggest that Malcolm Butler “will be traded.”
CSNNE.com notes that Trump opted not to mention Brady during his remarks at the Patriots White House visit. CSNNE.com lists some prospects for the edge of the defense who might make sense in New England.
NFL.com ranks the Patriots Super Bowl LI rematch with the Falcons in Foxborough as one of the 17 best games to look forward to in 2017. Three other New England games also make the list.
Browns boss Sashi Brown doesn’t expect to trade for Patriots backup Jimmy Garoppolo. "No," Brown said when asked if he would try to trade for a veteran passer over the next week.
