Tom Brady once turned down opportunity to meet Donald Trump at White House owing to a family emergency

NFL legend Tom Brady grew up in a close-knit family with three elder sisters. On numerous occasions, he has admitted to being a family man. Brady has prioritized his family, even over his close friend and former US President Donald Trump.

The former New England Patriots QB was supposed to meet former US President Donald Trump back in 2017. However, the meeting was canceled due to an emergency at Brady’s end, as revealed by NFL Insider Jeff Howe in a post on April 19, 2017. This was confirmed by other media outlets as well.

“Tom Brady fully intended to visit the White House with the Patriots today but can't due to a personal family reason that just occurred.

“Tom Brady's mother is in town, and he is spending time with her. She's been dealing with an illness.”

Brady’s mother, Galynn, was diagnosed with breast cancer and multiple myeloma, a cancer affecting plasma cells in the bone marrow, in June 2016. She had to undergo chemotherapy for five months, which forced her to miss all of Brady’s games in the 2016-17 season.

Despite this, she recovered just in time to make it to Super Bowl LI, when Brady etched his name in the record books as the QB with the most Super Bowl rings. After the win, an emotional Brady told the media:

“That's my mom and dad. They've been so supportive my entire life; it's nice to be able to show them ... to try to make them proud ... My mom hasn't been to a game this season. My dad has been to [only] one. It's very atypical.”

Galynn was reported to have completed her cancer treatment by April 2017 as she resumed her physical activities like golf and tennis. By June, she was reported to be in good health.

Tom Brady and teammates skipped meeting with Donald Trump at White House

The meeting in reference happened after Brady’s memorable win at Super Bowl LI. Many fans may remember it for the epic comeback of the New England Patriots from 28-3 in the third quarter to 28-34 at the end, but Brady had more reasons to celebrate.

After the victory, the teams were supposed to visit the US President Donald Trump at the White House.

Alongside Brady, a few other athletes refused to visit the White House due to political reasons and viewpoints. The list included Alan Branch, Chris Long, Devin McCourty, Dont’a Hightower and Martellus Bennett.

Brady had missed many of his previous trips to the White House, such as in the first three championship wins by the Patriots.