National Football League

Obama refuses to make Super Bowl pick

Published Jan. 26, 2012 12:00 a.m. ET

foxsports

President Barack Obama on Thursday refused to make a prediction on next week's Super Bowl XLVI clash between the New York Giants and the New England Patriots.

The commander-in-chief, who took some flak last season after he said he would attend the Super Bowl if the Chicago Bears beat the Green Bay Packers in the NFC Championship Game, told ABC News' Diane Sawyer he was not making the same mistake twice.

"I can't call it. I can't call it," Obama told Sawyer in an exclusive interview in Las Vegas. "When the Bears are not involved, I can't make predictions because I will get into trouble."

They president was referring to Packers veteran cornerback Charles Woodson, who famously ribbed Obama in the locker room after Green Bay beat the Bears for a spot in Super Bowl XLV.

Despite withholding his prediction for this year's NFL title game, Obama said he was looking forward to watching the quarterbacks from both teams square off Feb. 5 in Indianapolis.

"(Tom) Brady [is] obviously one of the best quarterbacks we've ever seen," Obama said. "Eli Manning [is] playing as well as he's ever played, and it's going to be a fun Super Bowl."