Again, the office deserves respect, not the holder of the office. The holder of the office has to earn respect.

And you're absolutely right, I am saying that my feelings about the person are more important. The office is an abstract. The person is not. And if the person holding the office is someone I find reprehensible then the only response is to not go.

And that's the great thing about a free country, you can choose not to associate with people you find reprehensible.

 

In my mind they are acting like Tommie Smith and John Carlos at the 1968 Olympics.

 

It's also worth noting that during the opening ceremonies to the Olympics in which Jessie Owens competed, the French athletes did the Nazi salute and the British athletes did not.

It's not very often that athletes find themselves in a position to make a political choice, but it does happen. Even the decision to "go along to get along" has consequences.

Something else to consider is the fact that Tom Brady didn't go. Considering that he didn't go when Barack Obama was president, and that he kept a "Make America Great Again" hat in his locker, I hazard to guess that he realized there was deep undercurrent of unhappiness among his teammates. I think he made the wise choice.

 

Or there's the more obvious theory that he had other personal commitments that took precedence.

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.co...hite-house-visit-for-personal-family-matters/

 

Brady's mother has been ill for quite a while.
Tom Brady says his mother is “doing better”
That story is dated February 8. If her condition got worse just before the White House visit, I am not aware of any reporting to that effect.

Another very possible explanation is that he wanted to keep his wife happy.
Gisele Posts Anti-Trump Tweet On Day Of Patriots’ White House Visit

There's no way to know one way or the other. Brady himself has little credibility with me after he destroyed his cell phone during the Deflategate investigation.

In any case, Brady instigated the politicization of the Patriots by keeping a MAGA hat on display in his locker. That raised the stakes for everyone on the team who was invited to the White House.

\\

 

Tmz had reported awhile back, that Brady's wife was pregnant again. This was around the time he had to miss the first 4 games.
That means she would be near the end of it, if true.
Maybe that could be why.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using Tapatalk

 

Here we go....

Half of your talking points are irrelevant. You are assuming that because his mom has been ill for while and because she's getting better, that there's no "reason" for him to visit her and that there must be alterior motives and he must have decided not to go to the White House because of a hat or because of backlash from his teammates. Nothing about what you've asserted is based on any credible information. It's all conjecture.

Other members of the team chose to go to the White House. Guys with a lot less clout and respect than Brady. Why aren't they worried about backlash from teammates. Even Coach Belechick has been on record as saying he considers Trump as a friend. Why isn't he concerned with backlash from his players? One gives you the LOGICAL answer for the other. Lol

Also your opinion that Brady politicized the team by bringing a MAGA hat into a locker room, is also inaccurate.... or at least very one-sided. Brady doesn't own the Patriots. He's an employee of the team. Other players on that team and also expressed their support for Hillary and publically stated as such and most likely talked about it with fellow teammates. Talked about her, the debates, etc. Possibly while in the locker room. Why is it that those guys are allowed to have their freedoms of speech and expression not be called into question, but Tom Brady is being accused by you for politicizing an entire organization?

I agree with you that Tom Brady (and Belechick too) is a cheater.... or he sure as heck did things to make it look like he was hiding something. But that has nothing to do with his hat, backlash from teammates, politics or the White House. Just sayin.

 

I haven't made any assumptions at all. I said in my earlier point that I was going to "hazard to guess". I also don't have any information that Brady's mother is worse than before. In any event, your previous post is irrelevant because Brady did not mention his mother in his statement. He only cited "personal family matters", which has led to speculation that they involved his mother.

As to Brady politicizing the Patriots, I meant the football players, not the entire organization. Brady brought politics into the locker room. If there have been instances where players had pro-Obama items in their lockers, but I am not aware of them. And if other Patriot players made political statements prior to the election, I am not aware of them.

The hat thing by itself wouldn't be that big a deal if Brady hadn't avoided attended the last Patriot White House event.

Did Tom Brady skip visit with Obama because he's mad at the White House?

So while I don't know why Brady didn't go to the White House, I think it was a good move on his part. I would say that I don't think Brady is too stupid not to at least consider the political ramifications of attending a Trump event after skipping an Obama event and then having his excuse being point out as a falsehood.

 

Yep. The operative word you chose to use was "hazard". I definitely would agree with you on that. Lol

 

I actually do not know what you mean by that.

 

a bit tangential, but i think in these times it is smart for players to maintain some distance from politics in general. i wonder how Colin Kaepernick will fare now that he has left the 49ers. i won't be surprised if other teams feel skittish about him. i can imagine they will be most comfortable with players being in the news for just football football football.

 

Not the same. The French and British athletes both WENT to the olympics, which is what the football players should have done. They don't have to support Trump personally there (like the French athletes did while giving the Nazi salute), but they should have gone.

So Brady didn't go to either Presidential invitation. He didn't make a political statement about not going. That's fair enough.

 

Not the same, but similar to the extent that the athletes found themselves in a position that no matter what choice they made, they made a political statement.

Brady is an odd case. His avoidance of the previous visit was so transparent, yet to my knowledge he has never publicly expressed a political opinion. Given that, even if I was in that position and chose not to go, I would not make a statement about it. Football is the ultimate team sport and its not good to call too much attention to oneself.

Another way to go:
Patriots Player Visits Trump White House, Thanks Obama In Touching Letter

 

I wouldn't go. Trump is the worst person to ever occupy the White House. It's beyond politics. Even though I disagree with George W. Bush on most things I'd still go if he was president.

 

I don't think Brady's not going to the Obama White House is any more transparent than his not going to the Trump White House. What would have been transparent is if he HAD gone to Trump's fete after declining Obama's.

On the Obama letter, it would have been much more effective coming from a black scientist or doctor than from a football player.

 

Welp, I guess we'll have to wait for Neil Degrasse Tyson to be invited to the White House.

 

He has said that Philosophy is useless, so he and Trump will probably get along.

 

And just to make sure there is no confusion, my use of "Welp" was intended to indicate my use of sarcasm.

 

And EACH & EVERY SINGLE ONE of them should have been treated like TimThomas of the Boston Bruins.