WASHINGTON — New England Patriots tight-end Rob Gronkowski made a surprise appearance at the White House press briefing Wednesday.
While White House press secretary Sean Spicer was answering a question from a reporter, the football player poked his head around a corner to lend a hand.
“Sean, need some help?” Gronkowski asked, prompting laughter from the journalists.
“I think I got this,” Spicer replied.
“You sure?” Gronkowski pressed.
“Maybe,” Spicer joked.
The surprise visit came shortly after the Patriots’ arrival at the White House, where the team was scheduled to meet President Donald Trump in celebration of their 2017 Super Bowl win.
After Gronkowski left the room, Spicer — who is a Patriots fan — laughed for a moment before regaining his composure.
“Alright, that was cool,” Spicer said. “How do you follow that?”
Gronkowski wasn’t the only Patriot getting attention today. New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady didn’t accompany his teammates to the White House Wednesday, where the Super Bowl champions were honored by President Donald Trump.
Brady cited “personal family matters” as his reason for skipping the ceremony.
“I am so happy and excited that our team is being honored at the White House today,” Brady said in a statement provided by the team to CNN.
“Our team has accomplished something very special that we are all proud of and will be for years to come. Thank you to the President for hosting this honorary celebration and for supporting our team for as long as I can remember. 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 back on the South Lawn again soon. Have a great day!”
