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April 19 (UPI) -- Ten weeks after pulling off the biggest comeback in Super Bowl history -- and sending the championship game to its first overtime period -- the New England Patriots visited President Donald Trump at the White House Wednesday. The six-time champion Patriots continued an annual tradition with their presidential visit, which was the first under the Trump administration.
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"No team has been this good for this long," Trump said of the team, which had gathered on the South Lawn of the White House.
"With your backs against the wall, and the pundits -- good old pundits; boy they're wrong a lot aren't they? -- saying you couldn't do it, the game was over, you pulled off the greatest Super Bowl comeback of all time."
Several team members skipped the ceremony -- including quarterback Tom Brady, who Trump has repeatedly spoken highly of. Brady said he had a prior family commitment. Some of the players cited political differences with the president as their reason for passing on the ceremony.
Among those missing were Devin McCourty, Chris Long, Martellus Bennett, LeGarrette Blount, Dont'a Hightower, Danny Amendola and Alan Branch.
Blount told a sports radio show, "I just don't feel welcome in that house." Bennett said, "People know how I feel about it." McCourty added, "I believe certain people might feel accepted there while others won't."
The ceremony occurred on the same day former Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez killed himself in prison. Hernandez, 27, began playing for the Patriots as a tight end in 2010. He was immediately released in 2013 after he was arrested for the murder of a semi-pro football player. He was later convicted and sentenced to life in prison.
The Patriots beat the Atlanta Falcons in Super Bowl LI on Feb. 5, 34-28 -- after being down by 19 points with less than 10 minutes left in the fourth quarter. New England scored a touchdown in overtime, a Super Bowl first, before Atlanta ever got the ball.
