Tom Brady Not Going To The White House

FOXBOROUGH, MA — Tom Brady will not attend the Patriots' Super Bowl visit to the White House today.

Brady said in a statement he will not join his teammates when they visit President Trump's White House Wednesday due to "personal family matters." ESPN's Mike Reiss reports Brady's mother, who has battled illness, is in Boston today.

"In light of some recent developments, I am unable to attend today's ceremony, as I am attending to some personal family matters. Hopefully, if we accomplish the goal of winning a championship in the future years, we will be back on the South Lawn again soon," Brady said in a statement.

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Brady has been under fire for his close relationship with Trump. The Brady-Trump friendship moved into the spotlight during the start of the 2015 season when a reporter noticed a "Make America Great Again" hat in Brady's locker. Since then, Brady has attempted to dodge questions about Trump, despite the president's use of the Patriots quarterback's name on the campaign trail.

Brady's statement comes just hours after former Patriots teammate Aaron Hernandez was found dead in his prison cell from an apparent suicide, prison officials said.

AP Photo/Elise Amendola