If the Patriots had won Super Bowl LII, it’s likely that the team would have visited the White House earlier this month without any issues. Unlike the Philadelphia Eagles, this year’s Super Bowl champs, the Patriots did not have any outspoken players who openly criticized the president or the NFL’s anthem policy. However, according to USA Today, more than a dozen Patriots did kneel during the anthem before a Week 3 game last season against the Houston Texans, while several others, including quarterback Tom Brady, stood and locked arms. Brady talked about this decision this week with Oprah Winfrey, saying that the team had a lot of “healthy discussions” in the locker room.
“We support what people are going through,” Brady said. “I’ve been playing sports long enough. Everyone comes from something different. And I think showing respect for everybody is—you know, in a locker room with a team of guys trying to go in the same direction, you better have that empathy for everybody.”
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