New England Patriots players explain why they won't go to White House

April 17 (UPI) -- The Super Bowl champion New England Patriots will visit the White House on Wednesday without Devin McCourty, and Chris Long, among others.

Quarterback Tom Brady also skipped the trip in 2015 when the team visited Barack Obama after it beat the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl XLIX.

Brady doesn't have a problem with his teammates doing the same thing. He went to Washington, D.C. in 2001, 2003 and 2004 under President George W. Bush

"Everybody has their own choice," Brady told PFT Live in February.

This time the crew skipping includes: McCourty, Long, Martellus Bennett, LeGarrette Blount, Don't'a Hightower, and Alan Branch. The trip will be the franchise's fifth to the White House.

On Friday, Green Stripe News posted a video on YouTube. The video features Long and McCourty explaining their reasons for not traveling to Washington, D.C. and visiting first-year President Donald Trump.

"Now obviously you want to switch the narrative, so for me it was simple," McCourty said in the video. "I don't believe in excluding other people."

"You know, right away I knew I wasn't going because it was something I thought about before we even won the game," McCourty said.

Brady, coach Bill Belilchick, and Patriots owner Robert Kraft are all Trump supporters and friends.

"When my son grows up and I believe the legacy of our president is gonna be what it is, I don't want him to say 'hey dad why did you go when you knew the right this was to not go," Long said.

Long said in the video that he believes in "respecting and supporting our troops and "drinkable water."

McCourty said he believes in letting "people be who they are."

The defender told TIME in February that he didn't "feel accepted" at the White House.

"I'm not going to the White House," McCourty wrote to TIME. "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."

The video, featuring several men, women, and children, ends with the participants all saying: "be Patriots."