NFL Champion New England Patriots Visit President Obama at the White House

Nearly three months after their historic Super Bowl victory, the New England Patriots took a trip to Washington D.C. for a visit with President Barack Obama.   

Not all of the members of the reigning champions were in attendance. The most notable absentee was quarterback Tom Brady, who had a prior family commitment, per Matt Pepin of The Boston Globe.

Despite Brady's absence, there were many faces in attendance who will not be wearing a Patriots Jersey when the 2015 season starts. Shane Vereen (New York Giants), Darrelle Revis (New York Jets) and Stevan Ridley (Jets) took part in the celebration with their former teammates and the president. 

Before President Obama spoke with the media and took photos with the team, players like wide receivers Julian Edelman and Danny Amendola took a stroll around the White House to take their own pictures, per the Patriots' official Twitter:

The Patriots made sure the president, as well as everyone else in attendance, got a good look at all of their hardware from this run of championships since 2001, per the Patriots' official Twitter:

Eventually the crowd gathered on the lawn at the White House for the Patriots to get their moment in the spotlight with President Obama. Here's what that crowd looked like, per CBS Boston 4:

Once everyone was seated, Obama came out to talk about what made the Patriots such a unique and special team; however, the president was not above making a couple of jokes about the Deflategate story, per Jeff Darlington of NFL.com and Jeff Howe of The Boston Herald:

Howe passed along the reactions from tight end Rob Gronkowski and head coach Bill Belichick following Obama's jokes:

Obama also made sure to thank Belichick for dressing up, though he wanted to give the future Hall of Famer options to make him more comfortable, per Phil Perry of Comcast SportsNet New England:

The president also got Belichick to step up to the podium to say a few words, which wasn't lost on former Patriots wide receiver Donte Stallworth:

Even though it seems like the Patriots do this routinely, this is their first trip to the White House since 2004. That means this is the first time Gronkowski got to take a trip with his team to the nation's capital as a Super Bowl champion.     

As Jimmy Traina of Fox Sports noted, Gronkowski in any setting is bound to be fun, but this held a world of possibilities:

Unfortunately, per the NFL on ESPN, Gronkowski was told that he had to keep his shirt on for this event:

After the talking was done, as has become customary for teams visiting the White House, the Patriots presented Obama with his own jersey, per Boston Globe Sports:

It was a light moment for the President, and by all accounts, it appeared to be a fun time for the Patriots. This is a moment that very few people in this country will get to experience. Being able to celebrate a championship in the nation's capital with the leader of the free world is a tremendous honor. 

Obama used his sharp sense of humor to have fun with the Patriots, who, in turn, showed they were willing to play along. Belichick actually spoke, so you know he was having a good time. 

This may be old hat for certain members of the franchise, like Belichick, but given the amount of time that's passed since New England last won a title, this was a wholly new and unique experience for many players. It's one that none of them are likely to forget.