New England Patriots defensive back Devin McCourty is the latest Super Bowl 51 champion to say he won’t be accompanying his teammates to the White House, where they will be honored by President Donald Trump later this year.
“I’m not going to the White House,” McCourty told Time magazine in a text message Monday. “Basic reason for me is I don’t feel accepted in the White House. With the President having so many strong opinions and prejudices, I believe certain people might feel accepted there while others won’t.”
McCourty added that attending the ceremony is a personal choice and said he “can’t imagine a way” that he would decide to go.
CNN has reached out to McCourty’s representatives and the White House for comment and have not yet received a response.
McCourty’s decision comes after Patriots tight end Martellus Bennett, a Trump critic, told reporters Sunday night that he will be skipping the White House visit.
“I haven’t thought about it. I am not going to go,” Bennett said. “I can elaborate later on in life; right now I am just trying to enjoy this … People know how I feel about it, just follow me on Twitter.”
Bennett and McCourty are outspoken supporters of the “Black Lives Matter” movement and have both slammed Trump in the past.
After San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick sat during the national anthem to protest racism in America last year, McCourty and Bennett participated in a similar protest on the field, raising their fists during the national anthem at a September game.
Fist-raising is a symbol of solidarity and a symbol of the black power movement that dates back to the Black Panthers in the 60s and 70s.
The Patriots have been linked to Trump because of the President’s friendship with quarterback Tom Brady and his relationship with Patriots owner Robert Kraft and coach Bill Belichick, both of whom he’s praised publicly.
