Disputed Twitter Post

The Super Bowl champion New England Patriots have flagged The New York Times for posting a misleading photo to suggest that far fewer players visited President Donald Trump at the White House than attended a similar event hosted by former President Barack Obama.

On Wednesday, @NYTSports posted a photo on Twitter noting the difference in turnout between the 2015 and 2017 visits to the White House as National Football League champions.

The Patriots’ @Patriots Twitter page quickly demonstrated how @NYTSports was making a false comparison, since many of the 2017 weren’t shown in the photo because they were back on the South Lawn – not on the stairs (as in the 2015 picture).

The Patriots then posted its own comparison of two comparable photos to set The New York Times straight, in which only two fewer players were present (36 vs. 34) this year.

Undaunted, @NYTSports then posted a photo twice proclaiming that Patriots players boycotted the White House event because of their contempt for Trump.

In its online article - "Tom Brady Skips Patriots’ White House Visit Along With Numerous Teammates" - the New York Times at least allowed a Patriots spokesman to set the facts straight regarding attendence differences, though it made a vague claim that Obama's 2015 attendance "approached" 50.