Barkley spoke about it on an episode of 'The Steam Room'
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Rumors of the Philadelphia Eagles potentially skipping a White House visit to celebrate their Super Bowl LIX victory took social media by storm at the end of February.
The talk swirled even as the Eagles had yet to receive an official invite. President Donald Trump did finally invite the team to Washington, D.C., but the talk of them not going ignited a take from Basketball Hall of Famer Charles Barkley.
College basketball analyst Charles Barkley on air before the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament Final Four championship game. (Mitchell Layton/Getty Images)
"The Round Mound of Rebound" said on "The Steam Room" that the possibility of teams skipping the White House visit because of Trump was "stupid."
"I don’t care who the president is," Barkley said, via Awful Announcing. "He’s the president of the United States. It’s bothered me the last 10 years, they’re like, ‘Well, I’m not going because this certain person is president.’ Dude, it’s the president of the United States.
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Philadelphia Eagles coach Nick Sirianni holds up the Lombardi trophy as he speaks during the team's NFL football Super Bowl LIX parade and celebration on Friday, Feb. 14, 2025 in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Chris Szagola)
"Even though I disagree with President Trump on some things, if I met him, I would still give him the respect and dignity he deserves. We can disagree, but it bothers me when these teams don’t want to go to the White House. I’m just disappointed … we got so divided. Where did we get to as a country when we’re like, ‘We’re not going to the White House, we don’t like who’s in there.’ That’s just stupid."
Tensions between the president and athletes appeared to simmer since he started his second term.
The Eagles skipped the White House visit during his presidency over tensions about players kneeling during the national anthem.
President Donald Trump walks to the Residence after arriving at the White House on Feb. 22, 2025 in Washington, D.C. (Tierney L. Cross/Getty Images)
However, during the 2024 presidential election campaign, more athletes showed support for Trump against then-Vice President Kamala Harris.
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Ryan Gaydos is a senior editor for Fox News Digital.
