That’s the number of Patriots players who have publicly said they will not attend a customary White House trip to celebrate their Super Bowl 51 victory.
Defensive lineman Alan Branch, during a Wednesday interview on SiriusXM NFL Radio, became the latest Patriot to say he wouldn’t be going. While three other players — tight end Martellus Bennett, running back LeGarrette Blount and safety Devin McCourty — said their decision stemmed from dissatisfaction with the politics of President Donald Trump, Branch gave a different reason.
“He’s not the best player ever,” Marshall told NJ.com. “We get caught up in that whole discussion, that when a quarterback is playing really well, he’s probably the best in the business, and we think he’s the best player. And that’s not true. When I think about player, I think about a guy that I can put at corner, safety, defensive end, a guy that I can put back on punt return, chase down kicks.
“That, to me, is the best player. J.J. Watt, that can play defensive end, tight end, put him at tackle, make him lose some weight and he can probably play linebacker and safety. That’s the best player.”
So who does Marshall believe has earned the right to be called the best?
“Man, that’s tough,” Marshall said. “I would put J.J. Watt in that discussion. I would put Reggie White in that discussion. I would put Deion [Sanders] in that discussion. I would put Cheap Jerseys Baseball Jerry Rice in that discussion. That would probably be impossible [to say for sure].”
In Marshall’s defense, it can be argued that all each of those players possesses more athleticism than Brady.