Connect with us

Published

4 years ago

on

1:22 PM ET

  • Associated Press

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden welcomed Tom Brady and the Super Bowl-winning Tampa Bay Buccaneers to the White House on Tuesday, the first visit by the reigning NFL champions since 2017.

It was Brady’s first visit since 2005 with the New England Patriots when George W. Bush was in office. Brady has won the Super Bowl during four different administrations but skipped visits by the Patriots in 2015 with Barack Obama and 2017 with Donald Trump.

The Patriots as a team chose not to attend after winning in 2019.

Brady was front and center, accompanying Biden, coach Bruce Arians and owner Bryan Glazer into the ceremony, which included jokes about age and the election and a push from the president for players to get vaccinated against the coronavirus if they hadn’t already.

Brady, the seven-time Super Bowl champion, put on quite the comedy routine, comparing the Buccaneers’ run to Biden’s election victory.

“Not a lot of people think that we could have won, and in fact I think about 40% of the people still don’t think we won,” Brady said with a big grin. “We had a game in Chicago where I forgot what down it was. I lost track of one down in 21 years of playing, and they started calling me ‘Sleepy Tom.’ Why they do that to me?”

Biden was presented the traditional gift of a No. 46 jersey — which Glazer said was appropriate since Tampa Bay is heading into its 46th season as a franchise.

Players Donovan Smith and Bradley Pinion from the team’s social justice committee met with Vice President Kamala Harris on Tuesday morning to talk about voting rights.

Talking about how nearly 200,000 vaccine doses were given out at Raymond James Stadium — the Buccaneers’ home and site where they won the Super Bowl — Biden turned to dozens of players behind him and said: “If you don’t have a shot, get one, OK? Get one, get one, get one. You’re saving lives, helping us get back to our lives and our loved ones.”

White House press secretary Jen Psaki did not directly answer when asked if the Buccaneers provided information on which team attendees were vaccinated. As of Friday, 10 NFL teams had reached the threshold of 85% of their traveling party fully vaccinated, though it was not immediately clear if Tampa Bay was one of them.

Before Brady took the microphone, Arians told Biden he wished the House and Senate would help the president fulfill “one goal” as a country, like his Buccaneers did last season.

Biden singled out receiver Chris Godwin, like himself Pennsylvania-born and Delaware-raised. Biden, 78, spoke with Godwin before the Super Bowl.

As the oldest person to become president, he compared himself to Brady being the oldest quarterback at 43 and Arians the oldest coach at 68 to win it all.

“You won’t hear any jokes about that from me,” Biden said. “As far as I’m concerned, there’s nothing wrong with being the oldest guy to make it to the mountaintop.”

Related Topics:
Continue Reading

Sports

Phillies clinch NL East with wild win vs. Dodgers

Published

5 hours ago

on

September 16, 2025

By

Phillies clinch NL East with wild win vs. Dodgers

  • Associated Press

Sep 16, 2025, 01:20 AM ET

LOS ANGELES — Kyle Schwarber, Weston Wilson and Bryce Harper homered, and the Philadelphia Phillies clinched their second straight NL East title with a wild 6-5 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Monday night.

It was the earliest division clinch in franchise history, two days sooner than the 2011 club that clinched on Sept. 17. The Phillies got it done in Game 151, second fastest in club history behind the 2011 Phillies who did it in Game 150.

The Phillies also notched a 90-win season for the third straight year for only the third time in franchise history.

Since the New York Mets were idle Monday, the Phillies needed a win to clinch the division. They blew leads of 1-0 and 4-3 before getting past the NL West-leading Dodgers for their ninth win in 11 games.

Since the July trade deadline, the Phillies are 29-14. They’ve held it together despite injuries to key players.

The Phillies lost right-hander Zack Wheeler when he went on the injured list a month ago because of a blood clot in his right shoulder. The club’s pitching depth has allowed it to absorb the loss because of its six-man rotation. Wheeler was 10-5 with a 2.71 ERA in 24 starts when he was sidelined.

Shortstop Trea Turner (right hamstring strain) and third baseman Alec Bohm (left shoulder inflammation) are both on the IL. Manager Rob Thomson said Bohm could return later this week at Arizona, and Turner could be back in time for the final homestand of the regular season.

The win made Thomson only the third manager in franchise history to win consecutive division titles, joining Charlie Manuel (2007-11) and Danny Ozark (1976-79). He’s only the fourth manager in major league history to reach the postseason in each of the first four full seasons of a managerial career. Among the other three is Dodgers manager Dave Roberts.

Continue Reading

Sports

Astros’ Alvarez sprains ankle crossing home plate

Published

8 hours ago

on

September 16, 2025

By

Astros' Alvarez sprains ankle crossing home plate

  • ESPN News Services

Sep 15, 2025, 09:00 PM ET

HOUSTON — Astros All-Star left fielder Yordan Alvarez left Monday’s 6-3 win against the Texas Rangers because of a sprained left ankle.

Alvarez appeared to slip as he crossed the plate in the first inning, scoring from first base on a throwing error by Rangers pitcher Jack Leiter on Carlos Correa‘s infield single. Alvarez was tended to by a trainer outside the Astros’ dugout and then helped down the steps.

Zachary Cole entered the game in right field in the second inning, with Jesus Sanchez moving to left.

The team announced the injury a couple of innings after Alvarez left the game.

Alvarez entered Monday’s game batting .273 with six home runs and 27 RBIs but has been limited to 47 games because of a fractured right hand that forced him to sit out 101 games.

The Astros hold a three-game lead over the Rangers for the American League’s final wild-card spot.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Continue Reading

Sports

Surging Giants call up top prospect Eldridge

Published

11 hours ago

on

September 16, 2025

By

Surging Giants call up top prospect Eldridge

  • Alden GonzalezSep 15, 2025, 02:21 PM ET

    Close

      ESPN baseball reporter. Covered the L.A. Rams for ESPN from 2016 to 2018 and the L.A. Angels for MLB.com from 2012 to 2016.

The San Francisco Giants, suddenly back in the playoff race with two weeks remaining in the regular season, called up their top prospect Bryce Eldridge, the team announced Monday.

Eldridge, a 20-year-old first baseman who was No. 29 in the latest prospect rankings by ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel, will seemingly fill the role vacated by fellow left-handed hitter Dominic Smith, who went on the injured list because of a hamstring strain over the weekend.

The 16th pick out of high school in 2023, Eldridge surged in Double-A at the start of the season and was slashing .249/.322/.514 with 18 homers, 88 strikeouts and 28 walks for the Giants’ Triple-A affiliate. His strikeout rate remained high of late, but his production improved over these past 17 games, during which he boasted a .294 batting average with 10 extra-base hits.

The Giants were using Rafael Devers at first base and designated hitter, with Smith and the right-handed-hitting Wilmer Flores essentially platooning at the other spot. Eldridge will be playoff eligible.

After acquiring Devers in the middle of June, the Giants went 13-22 heading into the trade deadline at the end of July, prompting the front office to deal veteran players. As of Aug. 22, the Giants were seven games below .500 and 7½ games out of the final National League wild-card spot, but they have since won 14 of 20 games and trail the slumping New York Mets by only 1½ games with 13 remaining.

Continue Reading

Trending