- The Philadelphia Eagles have received an invitation to visit the White House after winning their first Super Bowl in franchise history, but have yet to decide whether or not they will accept the invite.
- The NFL was one of President Trump's favorite targets over the 2017 season in response to the protest against police violence, which some of the Eagles players participated.
- If the Eagles accept the invitation, it is likely the team will attempt to use the visit as a time to engage the president, rather than a mere photo opportunity.
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The Eagles have not yet accepted Trump's invitation to the White House but are 'discussing it'
The Eagles have yet to decide whether or not they will accept their White House invitation after winning their first Super Bowl in franchise history.
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The Philadelphia Eagles won their first Super Bowl in franchise history in February, but their participation in a championship tradition — a visit to the White House — remains in question.
On Monday, the Eagles said in a statement that the team has received the White House's invitation but did not commit to making the trip.
"Another fact I want to throw out there: Many of us have no interest in supporting President Trump," Mr. Lurie said, according to a recording of the meeting obtained by The New York Times. "Yes, there are some. There are some players who do, too. But this is not where you brandish a group of people because they own assets in a sport we love, supporting what many of us perceive as, you know, one disastrous presidency," he said, using a vulgarity to emphasize "disastrous," then adding: "Don’t quote me."
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"Wouldn't you love to see one of these NFL owners, when somebody disrespects our flag, to say, 'Get that son of a b---- off the field right now, out — he's fired!'," Trump said.
Teams,players, andcommissioner Roger Goodellresponded with statements defending players' right to kneel, and then across the league teams showed a unified response to Trump in the week that followed. Eagles Pro Bowl safety Malcolm Jenkins was especially outspoken regarding Trump's comments and conduct.
This isn't the first time controversy has arisen out of a potential visit to the White House. The Warriors made headlines after declining to go to the White House after their 2017 NBA Championship, prompting President Trump to tweet that he was rescinding the invitation, which led to LeBron James calling the sitting president a "bum."
Also, while the Houston Astros accepted their invitation after their 2017 World Series victory, it was clear that the whole team was not thrilled with the day's festivities, with reigning MVP Jose Altuve appearing uncomfortable throughout.
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It's still unclear whether or not the Eagles will accept their invitation to the White House, but if they do, it sounds like they'll focus on making the trip more than just a glorified photo shoot.
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