According to The US Sun, the Philadelphia Eagles have reportedly chosen to decline a visit to the White House.
Team captain Lane Johnson stated that while visiting the White House would be an honor, the final decision on whether to accept the invitation to meet Donald Trump would be made through a team vote.
When asked if they would accept the invitation, The Sun reported that the response was a “massive no.”
Trump recently made history as the first sitting president to attend a Super Bowl, where the Eagles emerged victorious over the Kansas City Chiefs. However, the President had been backing the Chiefs to win. Speaking to FOX News’ Bret Baier, he praised Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, saying:
“The quarterback really knows how to win,” Trump said. “He’s a great, great quarterback.”
Political Tensions Between Trump and the NFL
This development comes amid ongoing political tensions involving the NFL. Some have accused the league of leaning too “left” or “woke.” Despite Trump’s opposition to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell recently reaffirmed the league’s commitment to these initiatives.
Trump’s Past Feud with the Eagles
Trump has had a strained history with the Philadelphia team.
The Eagles previously won the Super Bowl during Trump’s first term in 2018. That year, controversy arose when athletes across various professional sports leagues kneeled during the national anthem to protest institutional racism.
Trump was one of the most vocal critics of these protests, insisting that players who refused to stand should be removed from their teams.
The 2018 Eagles team had planned to boycott a White House visit in response to Trump’s stance. As a result, Trump preemptively revoked the team’s invitation, tweeting:
“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.”
Trump supporter’s fume over Eagles’ decision
Meanwhile, Trump supporters asked the President to pull all the funding of Eagles, with Journalist Megyn Kelly writing on X: “GO F**K YOURSELVES EAGLES. My husband is a fan so I got onboard but F this BS.”
“Eagles won’t visit The White House? Oh cool. Pull all their funding. Every dime. If the NFL hates America then America needs to start hating the NFL,” tweeted Sports and Nonsense.
“The Philadelphia Eagles have rejected Trump’s invitation to the White House. You know what, I will never support that team again,” one more commented.
However, some supporters if Eagles defended the team. “BRAVO to the Philadelphia Eagles for declining Trump’s invitation to the White House,” one X user said, lauding the team as a “symbol of STRENGTH, POWER, FREEDOM, & WISDOM.”
“Trump openly rooted against the eagles and didn’t congratulate them,” reminded Sports journalist Chris Schaller on X, adding that the eagles “have every right not to do so.”