All Eyes On Patriots, Tom Brady After Trump Roasts NFL Players

FOXBOROUGH, MA — As is usually case during Sunday kickoffs, all eyes will be on Tom Brady and the Patriots. This Sunday when New England hosts the Houston Texans at 1 p.m, however, the attention won't be on football.

The NFL is expected to see a rash of protests Sunday after President Trump said those who exercise their First Amendment right on the field should be fired. The NFL and NFL Players' Association shot back with dual statements, with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell calling Trump's statements "divisive."

The Patriots, a team led by self-confessed Trump pals Brady, coach Bill Belichick, and owner Robert Kraft, have generally steered clear of the controversy first sparked when then-49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick began kneeling during the National Anthem to protest, he said, how black people and other minorities are treated unfairly.

But the Super Bowl champion Patriots also had a number of players skipping the White House visit last month in direct protest to Trump.

The team on Sunday will be in a position where a protest would reverberate throughout the league, both because of the Patriots unrivaled success and the relationship of their star quarterback - who is also one of the most high-profile white athletes in the world - to the president.

Kraft, a longtime friend of Trump's, released a statement Sunday morning saying he was "deeply disappointed by the tone of the comments made by the president."

Three of the players who didn't attend the White House visit this offseason are no longer with the team. One of players who skipped and is still with the team, Devin McCourty, was the first Patriot to speak publicly on the matter:

One of the players who missed out was actually Brady, who pulled out at the last second, citing "personal family matters." Some said Brady might have been referencing his sick mother, while others said he may be protecting his squeaky-clean marketing image, and still others said wife Giselle - who has told Brady to stop talking politics - put her foot down.

On Sunday, Brady seemed to show his support for players who kneel during the national anthem by commenting on a photo posted by Aaron Rodgers.

Outspoken Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman on Saturday questioned why Brady wasn't criticized for missing the White House visit after Trump earlier in the morning withdrew his invitation to Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry - after Curry already said he wouldn't be attending.

Trump said in a New Hampshire rally on the eve of Election Day that Brady called earlier that to tell his "friend" that he voted for him. Trump also read a gushing note he said Belichick wrote him.

Belichick said two days later he has "a friendship and a loyalty to Donald;" Brady wouldn't talk much about it, but he once endorsed Trump and used to have a Make America Great Again hat featured in his locker. Trump has often called Brady after games, the quarterback says.

Trump's remarks about the protests, made Friday in at a rally in Alabama, have stirred emotions in many NFL locker rooms, according to Saturday reports and social media posts by several players, some more direct than others:

A number of NFL owners have also spoken against Trump's statement in strong terms Saturday evening before Kraft spoke up.

Trump took to Twitter early Saturday evening to respond to Goodell's statement...

And on Sunday morning seemed to suggest fans should stop going to games, going back to a Trump trope that ratings are "WAY DOWN."

Image Credit: AP/Gregory Payan