Just as they didn’t visit after winning in 2018, it surfaced last month that even if they win, the team wouldn’t go.
The Philadelphia Eagles visit the White House to celebrate their Super Bowl victory.
White House Press Secretary Caroline Leavitt confirmed the news during a Daily Press briefing on March 11th. The possibility of the Eagles visiting the White House was initially the subject of controversy after reports surfaced that the team would not accept the invitation. The Eagles did not visit the White House after winning the Super Bowl LII in 2018.
“On April 28th, we can confirm that the Philadelphia Eagles are in the White House to celebrate their Super Bowl victory,” Leavitt said. “I know there was a lot of fake news about the invitation that was not sent and sent. I want to correct the record. I sent the invitation. They will be enthusiastically accepted and will be seen here on April 28th.”
A team spokesman confirmed he accepted the invitation to John Clark of NBC Sports Philadelphia on Monday.
The first report, first published on February 6th by the tabloid US Sun three days before the game, citing an anonymous “well-placed insider.”
“We’re focusing on the game for now, but if we win the Super Bowl, we won’t go to the White House,” an anonymous member of the Eagles ownership group said via Sun.
The Sun also cited an anonymous “current player.” The “current player” said he decided that “almost everyone” would not accept it.
“We represent cities and nations that promote equal rights, respect and values to respect all people,” the anonymous player said. He pointed to Trump’s criticism of the Eagles’ social justice protests, saying that players “will not retreat from our values of respect, integrity and equality.”
The Eagles quickly rejected these reports, and Clark reported on February 24th that the team would accept the invitation. At the time, the White House hadn’t sent it yet. The Pro Football Talk later reported, citing “a source of information about the team’s plans firsthand,” saying that he was honored for the team to be present and had not even considered reducing the number of invitations.
Trump announced he would send an invitation the next day. “I thought it was a great performance for them, so absolutely they’ll extend the invitation,” he said on February 25th in the oval office. He turned his eyes to the staff and asked them to send an invitation. “We’re going to do it one day. They deserve to be here and we want to see them.”
When the Eagles didn’t visit in 2018, the NFL social justice protests during the anthem were full-fledged, with Trump repeatedly criticising players for refusing to support the anthem. Trump drove the team away after most players refused to attend.
“The Philadelphia Eagles will not be able to come to the White House with their full team to be celebrated tomorrow,” Trump said in a statement at the time. “In honor of the great men and women of our military and the people of our nation, they oppose the president because they proudly claim that they have their national anthem, their hands in their hearts. The Eagles wanted to send a smaller delegation, but 1,000 fans are planning to attend the event.
Eagles players Malcolm Jenkins and Torrey Smith responded, using the national anthem protest to cancel their commitment to social justice and criticising Trump as a reason to repeat.
