More in the cross-post on the MRC's NewsBusters blog.
During an interview with Patriots owner Robert Kraft about his NFL team’s Super Bowl win, on Monday’s NBC Today, co-host Matt Lauer turned the conversation to politics and demanded Kraft defend his friendship with President Trump: “Your relationship with Donald Trump, I should mention, goes back a while.... Has your relationship with Donald Trump in any way strained your relationship with some of your players? Who, by the way, some say they don't want to go to the White House to celebrate this win.”
In reply, Kraft called out the press for its sudden interest in athlete attendance at White House events: “Well, you know what's interesting, this is our – I'm happy to say – fifth Super Bowl in the last 15-16 years and every time we've had the privilege of going to the White House, a dozen of our players don't go. This is the first time it's gotten any media attention.”