President Donald Trump may be in line for another awkward encounter with the Philadelphia Eagles after owner Jeffrey Lurie made it clear that players are not obligated to join the team’s planned White House visit.
After the Eagles’ dominant 40-22 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LIX, the time honored tradition of a championship team traveling to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue is back in the spotlight. On the heels of the Big Game, gossip hinted at the possibility of players – or perhaps the entire Philadelphia team – declining Trump’s invite.
Lurie addressed the matter on Tuesday, emphasizing that attendance at the White House is entirely voluntary for his players. “Our culture is that these are optional things,” he told reporters. “If you want to enjoy this, come along and we’ll have a great time and if you don’t, it is totally an optional thing.”
Amid talk of some Eagles players potentially skipping the event, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed that the team is set to make the visit on April 28. “I know there was a lot of fake news about an invitation that wasn’t sent or was sent, we want to correct the record: we sent an invitation, they enthusiastically accepted, and you will see them here on April 28,” she clarified earlier this month.
Explaining the decision to accept Trump’s invitation to the White House, Lurie stated: “We just felt this is a time honored tradition being invited by the White House. So there was no reticence whatsoever. To be celebrated at the White House is a good thing.”
The Eagles had previously been scheduled to visit the White House in 2018 after winning Super Bowl LII with a 41-33 victory over the New England Patriots. However, the trip was canceled due to a disagreement with Trump over standing during the National Anthem.
At the time, internal discussions among the team’s players and staff resulted in a reduced group planning to make the trip. Upon learning that not all team members would attend, Trump scrapped the visit.
(Image: Getty Images)
“The Philadelphia Eagles are unable to come to the White House with their full team to be celebrated tomorrow,” Trump said at the time. “They disagree with their President because he insists that they proudly stand for the National Anthem, hand on heart, in honor of the great men and women of our military and the people of our country. The Eagles wanted to send a smaller delegation, but the 1,000 fans planning to attend the event deserve better.”
Reflecting on the tumultuous 2018 Super Bowl aftermath, Lurie spoke out about the starkly different environment for this year’s visit to the White House. “There were special circumstances [in 2018] that were very different, and so this was kind of an obvious choice and [we] look forward to it,” he remarked.
“When you grow up and you hear about, ‘Oh, the championship team got to go to the White House,’ that’s what this is. And so we didn’t have that opportunity and now we do. I think we’re all looking forward to it.”
Lurie further clarified the nature of the visit, emphasizing its apolitical character: “This is really just an invitation from the White House,” he said. “That’s all this is, and we’re not politicizing it in any way. Not for us.”
- Source: NEWHD MEDIA
