Duron Harmon, the New England Patriots’ hero safety, says he will refuse a White House invitation to celebrate winning Super Bowl LIII with his teammates.
Harmon’s defensive plays late in the 4th quarter were key to sealing the Patriots’ victory over the hapless Los Angeles Rams by a final score of 13-3 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on Sunday.
Harmon started the game on the bench, but an injury to linebacker Patrick Chung changed Harmon’s fate.
He was called into action to take over as safety on passing downs in the second half.
“(My role) changed a lot,” Harmon said in post-game interviews. “I went from just playing on third down a little bit to being out there in critical situations. We always talk about on this team that ‘next man up’ mentality, and I wanted to make sure that I did everything I could to make sure that I played good football in honor of (Chung).”
After the game, Harmon headed to an Atlanta nightclub to party with rappers Cardi B and Meek Mill. He told a reporter he will refuse a White House invitation to celebrate with his team.
“They don’t want me in the White House,” said Harmon.
According to The Hill, Harmon referenced the Golden State Warriors, saying it “would be dope” for the Patriots as a team to skip the White House and visit with former President Barack Obama, like the Warriors did in January.
“We love you over here, man,” Harmon said, referring to Obama.
Harmon was the first Patriots player to express a disinterest in visiting the White House after the game. But he might not be alone.
Patriots quarterback Tom Brady skipped the team’s White House visit in 2017 after his wife, supermodel Gisele Bundchen, publicly criticized President Trump.
But Trump is good friends with Brady and Patriots owner Robert Kraft. Trump picked the Patriots to win Super Bowl LIII, and he called Brady the “greatest quarterback of all time.”
Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images
