The Philadelphia Eagles won the first (and so far, only) Super Bowl at the conclusion of the 2017 NFL season. As is tradition, they were invited to the White House to celebrate their victory with the President of the United States. At the time, Donald Trump was President, and he did not have a great reputation among NFL players.
The reason for this was due to Trump’s criticism of former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick and other players who knelt during the National Anthem: “Wouldn’t you love to see one of these N.F.L. owners, when somebody disrespects our flag, to say, ‘Get that son of a b—- off the field right now. Out! He’s fired. He’s fired!’”
Trump’s comments, which were made at a rally in Alabama in September of 2017, sparked outrage among many NFL players and coaches. Many who had not previously protested during the National Anthem started to as a result of Trump’s remarks, including many Eagles players.
Former President Donald Trump Cancelled the Philadelphia Eagles White House Visit
When the expected invitation came for the Eagles to visit the White House, most players and coaches planned on not attending. While there was a portion of team representatives, which included some players and coaches, that were willing to go, Trump did not want to host them without the full team being present. He posted on Twitter:
The Philadelphia Eagles Football Team was invited to the White House. Unfortunately, only a small number of players decided to come, and we canceled the event. Staying in the Locker Room for the playing of our National Anthem is as disrespectful to our country as kneeling. Sorry!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 5, 2018
He also released a statement, announcing a different celebration for Eagles fans that still wanted to celebrate:
“These fans are still invited to the White House to be part of a different type of ceremony — one that will honor our great country, pay tribute to the heroes who fight to protect it, and loudly and proudly play the national anthem.”
As one might expect, there is not much love lost between the former President and the Eagles organization, as was evident in comments he made while visiting the City of Brotherly Love this weekend.
Former President Donald Trump Says the Philadelphia Eagles Are “a Little Bit” Good
The former President, who is the clear favorite to win the Republican nomination to run again in November, visited Philadelphia on Saturday as part of his campaign. During his speech, he said:
“You guys used to have good teams here. Do you still have good teams here? I don’t know. A little bit.”
DAMN… Former President Trump in Philly takes SHOTS AT THE #EAGLES
“You guys used to have good teams here. Do you still have good teams here? I don’t know. A little bit.”
😳😳😳
— MLFootball (@_MLFootball) June 23, 2024
His comments were met with boos from the crowd. The Eagles are, after all, coming off of another NFL Playoffs appearance and the Philadelphia Phillies are currently leading the National League East.
The former President sure has held onto that six-year-old grudge.
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