The Philadelphia Eagles missed out on going to the White House in 2018 after defeating the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl. President Donald Trump claimed. some of the players’ views on standing for the National Anthem and police brutality were the reason they missed out on a celebratory visit.
Following the Eagles’ 40-22 win over the Kansas City Chiefs in February, Trump invited Philadelphia to the White House. The Eagles accepted the invitation, but it’s not certain that all members of the team will make the trip to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue on April 28.
Per Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, Eagles owner Jeffery Lurie told reporters at the annual league meeting at The Breakers hotel in Palm Beach, Florida, that the team doesn’t want to politicize the event.
However, given the nature of the event surrounding the POTUS, the visit is bound to be political.
Visiting Donald Trump is optional
Trump
Lurie said the visit is optional for players and staff.
“Our culture is that these are optional things,” Lurie said. “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… 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. There were special circumstances [in 2018] that were very different, and so this was kind of an obvious choice and look forward to it… 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.”
The Philadelphia Eagles can’t punish players for not going
As Florio points out, the Eagles can’t punish players for not attending the White House, per the rules of the Collective Bargaining Agreement.
Regardless, players who attend or do not attend will be scrutinized by certain people on the internet. That’s just how it is in 2025.
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