Newsweek has reached out to a representative for the Philadelphia Eagles outside of regular working hours via email for comment.
Why It Matters
President Donald Trump was the first sitting president to attend a Super Bowl game this year.
It is tradition for the winning Super Bowl team to visit the White House. Eagles captain Lane Johnson said it would be an honor to go, but the decision to meet with the president, if invited, will be left up to a team vote. The Eagles won the Super Bowl in 2018 while Trump was president, and did not attend the customary meeting with him following their victory.
What We Know
On Sunday, February 23, The U.S. Sun reported that the Philadelphia Eagles had decided to skip a visit to the White House. The outlet reported that when asked if they would accept an invitation, the response from the Eagles was a “massive no.”
This report quickly sparked backlash online, particularly from MAGA supporters who have criticized the Eagles, with some saying they will no longer support the team.
Now, amidst this backlash, a conflicting report has emerged.
On Monday, February 24, the outlet Outkick reported that the Eagles have not rejected a White House invite and said that the White House has yet to extend the invite.
Outkick founder Clay Travis posted on X that the story of the Philadelphia Eagles declining the invitation was “fake news,” claiming that the Eagles have said they “can’t wait to visit,” and wrote that “the sports world is healing.”
Both reports from Outkick and The U.S. Sun cite anonymous sources in their reporting.
Jeffrey Lurie who owns the Eagles has reportedly criticized Trump in the past, and according to The New York Times, said in a private meeting with NFL team owners in 2018 that his first presidency had been “disastrous.”
The Eagles did not attend the customary White House meeting when they won the Super Bowl in 2018 during Trump’s first term. The president said that he would not invite the Eagles to the White House following their Super Bowl win because Eagles players had knelt during the national anthem.
However, prior to his rescinding his invitation, it was reported that only two players from the team were planning on meeting with the president, as others did not want to go.
The act of taking the knee as a form of protest was first done by NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick in 2016, and it has since become synonymous with the Black Lives Matter movement against police brutality.
What People Are Saying
Clay Travis on X: “White House source: the Philadelphia Eagles have not rejected a White House invite. The reports that have gone viral on social media are fake news. The White House has not even sent the official invite to the Eagles yet.”
ESPN Senior NFL insider Adam Schefter on X: “Eagles sources say the team is planning on visiting the White House this off-season and looks forward to receiving its invitation.”
Sports journalist Chris Schaller on X: “Trump openly rooted against the eagles and didn’t congratulate them… the eagles have every right not to do so.”
Lane Johnson said to Sportico’s Eric Jackson, per Fox News: “I’d be honored to go, regardless of who the president is, but we’ll see. It’s ultimately a team decision. I’ll do what’s best for the team.”
Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie told Front Office Sports when asked about a White House visit before the Super Bowl: “I just want to win Sunday.”
What’s Next
The Philadelphia Eagles have not publicly addressed the reports at this time and nor has the White House, with neither issuing an official statement on the subject of an invitation.
Philadelphia Eagles Have Not Rejected Donald Trump Visit, White House Says
The Philadelphia Eagles have not snubbed President Donald Trump’s invitation to celebrate their Super Bowl victory at the White House because no such offer has been made to the team, administration and Eagle officials said on Monday.
A recent tabloid report that the Eagles planned to answer a White House invite with a “massive no” generated conservative blowback led by media personality Megyn Kelly, who wrote, “G F YOURSELVES EAGLES.”
The situation appeared to be a semi-replay of Trump rescinding an invite to the Eagles after they won the Super Bowl in 2018 because several players had revealed they would not attend. Trump’s relationship with part of the sports world soured after his condemnation of kneeling national anthem protests.
But that doesn’t appear to be the case this time around.
An unnamed White House official told Politico the tabloid report was false, saying the White House had not proffered an official invitation to the Eagles. The Eagles beat the Kansas City Chiefs earlier this month for their second Super Bowl title. Eagles sources said the team would be “honored to visit” the White House and “look forward to receiving the invitation,” the NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
This doesn’t mean that an Eagles trip to 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. is a lock, however. Stay tuned.
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