The tradition of the Super Bowl-winning team visiting the White House is a long-standing one, but Donald Trump infamously canceled the Philadelphia Eagles’ 2018 trip to the capital.
Trump attended last night’s Super Bowl in New Orleans and raged that it had been “ruined” as he descended into a Taylor Swift meltdown.
The Eagles, led by Nick Foles, previously clinched victory over the Tom Brady-led New England Patriots in Super Bowl LII, marking one of the highest-scoring Super Bowls in history with a 41-33 win in Minneapolis. A few months later, Doug Pederson and his team were scheduled to visit Pennsylvania Avenue to meet President Trump.
However, several players, including Chris Long, Malcolm Jenkins, and Torrey Smith, expressed their unwillingness to attend following the NFL’s decision to ban players from kneeling or making any other protest gestures during the national anthem.
The trend of players kneeling during the anthem was initiated by former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick as a protest against racial injustices across the United States. President Trump’s statements labeling the protests as unpatriotic only exacerbated the issue.
Ultimately, the Eagles’ invitation to the White House was rescinded when the organisation opted to send a smaller delegation to Washington D.C. for the event after some players made it clear they did not wish to visit President Trump.
President Trump released a statement saying: “The Philadelphia Eagles are unable to come to the White House with their full team to be celebrated tomorrow. They disagree with their President because he insists that they proudly stand for the national anthem, hand on heart, in honor of the great men and women of our military and the people of our country.
“The Eagles wanted to send a smaller delegation, but the 1,000 fans planning to attend the event deserve better. 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. I will be there at 3:00 p.m. with the United States Marine Band and the United States Army Chorus to celebrate America.”
Following Trump’s announcement, the Eagles responded with a statement: “It has been incredibly thrilling to celebrate our first Super Bowl championship. Watching the entire Eagles community come together has been an inspiration. We are truly grateful for all of the support we have received and we are looking forward to continuing our preparations for the 2018 season.”
