Chris Long is fourth Patriot to snub a White House visit

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The veteran defender revealed he will not go to the White House on Wednesday
Long was responding to an open letter calling on him to not visit Donald Trump
'Planned on skipping, hadn't been asked,' Long wrote on Twitter in the morning
He is now the fourth New England Patriots player to say they will skip the visit
Dont'a Hightower, Devin McCourty and Martellus Bennett are also not attending
Two more teammates, James White and Rob Ninkovich, are unsure about going
Tom Brady, Bill Belichick, and owner Robert Kraft have all backed Donald Trump

Published: 12:20 EST, 9 February 2017 | Updated: 12:55 EST, 9 February 2017

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Veteran defensive lineman Chris Long has become the latest New England player to say he will not visit Donald Trump in the White House.

Long, the son of Fox Sports host and Hall of Famer Howie Long, capped off his first season with the Patriots with Sunday's Super Bowl win.

The 31-year-old announced he will not be attending on Twitter, in response to an open letter from Chuck Modiano of the New York Daily News.

'Oh Chuck. Planned on skipping, hadn't been asked. Don't need an open letter explaining my own words to me. Not *joining* anyone. My call,' Long wrote.

Chris Long has become the latest New England player to say he will not visit Donald Trump in the White House. He is pictured speaking after Sunday's win

Long's comments come after fellow defensive player Dont'a Hightower announced Wednesday he was joining two other teammates in not visiting the White House.

During an appearance on ESPN's Sportscenter, Hightower - a two-time Super Bowl champion - said he had already 'been there, done that', in reference to the presidential meet and greet.

This will not be the first time he's declining a trip to the White House, as Hightower noted he did not go on the traditional trip when the Patriots won the Super Bowl in 2014.

However, he did visit President Obama while he was a member of the University of Alabama team to win the college football championship.

Chris Long is seen hugging his father, Hall of Famer and NFL host Howie Long, after Sunday's Super Bowl

Long announced his plan on Twitter in response to a journalist who wrote an open letter calling on him not to go

The decision as to why Hightower isn't going is however different than his teammates Martellus Bennett and Devin McCourty - who specifically do not want to meet Trump.

Bennett, a tight end for New England, was the first player to say he was opting out of the celebratory trip because of reasons of not supporting the former reality television host.

Before Sunday night's game the Dallas Morning News asked him if he would attend, and Bennett responded: 'Most likely no, because I don't support the guy that's in the house.'

He added he wasn't worried about what team owner Robert Kraft might think, as the CEO of the Kraft group is a Trump supporter.

Long, seen with his father and Hall of Famer Howie Lowie after the Super Bowl, in the fourth Patriot to say they will not attend

Chris and Howie Long shared an emotional moment on Fox Sports - where Howie is a NFL host - after the Super Bowl

Bennett confirmed after the game to the paper that he would not be going.

McCourty's reasoning for not going is that he said he doesn't 'feel accepted in the White House.'

'I'm not going to the White House,' McCourty, 29, told Time magazine.

'The president having so many strong opinions and prejudices, I believe certain people might feel accepted there while others won't.'

Both McCourty and Bennett made headlines in September when they raised their firsts high at the end of the national anthem in order to 'start the conversation' about social injustice.

New England Patriots linebacker Dont'a Hightower (pictured) also announced he will not visit President Donald Trump at the White House

Patriots tight end Martellus Bennett has previously said he will not visit the White House because he is not a fan of Donald Trump

Running back James White and linebacker Rob Ninkovich have also said they are unsure if they'll go to the White House.

The Patriots became linked with Trump throughout the campaign, starting from when Tom Brady displayed a 'Make America Great Again' hat in his locker. Brady also said in 2015 he wanted Trump to win, telling reporters: 'I hope so. That would be great. There’d be a putting green on the White House lawn, I'm sure of that.'

Brady then refused to talk about Trump since the election, and brushed off questions about him during the Super Bowl media week.

Patriots defensive back Devin McCourty said on Monday that he will not be attending the team's visit to the White House and said he doesn't 'feel accepted' there

McCourty and Bennett are pictured in September with fists raised high to 'start the conversation' in regards to social injustice

However, the star quarterback himself has a history with not attending the White House, as he snubbed President Obama in April 2015.

Brady said he could not go because of a 'family commitment', however on the day his teammates visited Obama he was reportedly at New England's stadium in Foxboro. The next day, he went to the Apple Store in New York.

Coach Bill Belichick also wrote a letter to Trump during the election campaign, praising his 'leadership'.

At the time, Trump promptly promoted the letter as a sign of his popularity.