As North Korea prepares for nuclear war and tensions escalate in the Middle East, President Donald Trump was given some truly bad news Wednesday morning: Tom Brady would not be joining the rest of the New England Patriots at the White House to celebrate their recent Super Bowl win.
"Thank you to the president for hosting this honorary celebration and for supporting our team for as long as I can remember," Brady said in a statement, which was first reported by ESPN's Mike Reiss in a tweet. "In light of some recent developments, I am unable to attend today's ceremony, as I am attending to some personal family matters."
Related: Tom Brady to miss Donald Trump's White House Super Bowl party
After the Super Bowl ended, six Patriots came forward and said they would not be joining the team at the White House, mostly due to Trump's divisive politics. Trump certainly couldn't care less about the absence of a few haters, but Tom Brady? The handsome star quarterback whom Trump has called a "friend," a "great guy" and a "total winner"? It's hard to believe his last-minute slight didn't hurt Trump's feelings just a little, if not a lot.
As has now been well documented, Trump isn't the type to let things go. He holds grudges. He gets revenge. If he feels like he has been wronged, he reciprocates. Wednesday afternoon was no exception: Trump delivered a sweeping speech commending the Patriots accomplishments, both in the past season and throughout the past 15 years. He mentioned everyone from defensive end Trey Flowers to special teamer Nate Ebner.
He did not mention Tom Brady.
Trump on Patriots win: And the pundits, good old pundits. "Boy, they're wrong a lot, aren't they?" https://t.co/K5v3Jp6mtx pic.twitter.com/73pvGHL9fq
— Washington Examiner (@dcexaminer) April 19, 2017
Trump praised catches made by Danny Amendola and Julian Edelman, and the coaching decisions of Bill Belichick. He shouted out wide receiver Matt Slater and rookie Malcolm Mitchell. He even talked about how he "thinks of guys like Marcus Cannon and the offensive line."
"Everyone played a role, and everyone played as champions," Trump said.
He failure to mention Brady was most conspicuous as he praised the Patriots' ability to win five Super Bowls in the era of free agency. "You've achieved it five times, many of you," Trump said. "Our coach and our owner have achieved it five times."
In the past, Trump has typically mentioned Kraft, Belichick and Brady together as a kind of triumvirate of success.
What an amazing comeback and win by the Patriots. Tom Brady, Bob Kraft and Coach B are total winners. Wow!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 6, 2017
On Wednesday, however, Brady's "personal family matters" appeared to be enough for Trump to cut him out of the speech entirely. Yes, Trump may say that he only wanted to mention those in attendance, but given his history of praising Brady, Brady's role in the Patriots' success and the fact that he and Trump are "friends," it's certainly odd that he didn't even acknowledge Brady. And if he didn't acknowledge him on purpose, it's not just odd. It's petty.
Read more from Newsweek.com:
- Why Martellus Bennett and other Patriots are boycotting the White House
- How the Patriots won the greatest Super Bowl ever
- How Tom Brady and Bill Belichick made the Patriots a dynasty
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Ryan Bort is a staff writer covering culture for Newsweek. Previously, he was a freelance writer and editor, and his ... Read more
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