According to reports, the Philadelphia Eagles will again skip a White House visit after winning the Super Bowl, as they did in 2018.
According to the US Sun, the Eagles rejected an invite from President Trump’s White House to have the traditional hosting of champions. The Eagles also rejected an invite from President Trump in 2018.
In 2018, with the league still embroiled in the Colin Kaepernick anthem-kneeling controversy and Trump’s public and highly critical words directed at the protesters, it did not surprise when the Eagles rejected the White House invite. This time around, with the anthem protests over and the fact that Trump carried the state of Pennsylvania decisively in the recent election, the move seems more bizarre. It comes off as an attempt to insert politics into a space where there currently is none and shouldn’t be.
Eagles Owner Jeffrey Lurie is a well-known Democrat donor. He also once called the first Trump term “divisive and disastrous,” which might explain his reticence to visit the White House. However, not all team owners who visit the White House have always been politically aligned with the current occupant. In fact, that is frequently not the case.
The Eagles’ snub of Trump starkly contrasts Chiefs star tight end Travis Kelce, who said it would be a “great honor” to go to the White House.
The first time the Eagles rejected a White House invite from Trump, in 2018, the president chose to make the day reserved for the team visit a celebration of the national anthem, featuring the United States Marine Band and the Army Chorus.
It is unknown what Trump plans for the day the Eagles were scheduled to visit this year.
