2 months ago
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Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts didn’t join President Donald Trump and the rest of his teammates on Monday for a celebration of the team’s Super Bowl LIX victory in February.
The White House told HuffPost that the reason Hurts, along with some other unnamed teammates, didn’t make it was because of a scheduling conflict.
The news comes after Hurts sidestepped a Time reporter’s question about whether or not he’d visit the White House by simply saying “um” and looking away.
Trump still honored Hurts for being a “terrific guy and a terrific player” during the event on Monday.
Alex Brandon / Associated Press
The event has been a tradition since 1980, when President Jimmy Carter hosted the Pittsburgh Steelers (and the Pirates).
But when the Eagles won the Super Bowl in 2018, during Trump’s first administration, the team did not make it to the White House. The invitation was rescinded after not enough players committed to attending.
Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie said earlier this month that the White House trip wasn’t mandatory for the players.
“Our culture is that these are optional things,” Lurie told reporters. “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.”
“There were special circumstances [in 2018] that were very different, and so this was kind of an obvious choice and look forward to it,” he added, alluding to Trump’s insistence at the time that all players stand for the national anthem.
“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,” Lurie added.
Running back Saquon Barkley was spotted hanging out with Trump on Sunday, the day before the scheduled meet-up.
“What a nice guy,” Trump told reporters after the two were seen deboarding Marine One in New Jersey. They were getting ready to board Air Force One.
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The hangout was met with criticism online, which Barkley attempted to shoot down on Monday.
“Lol some people are really upset cause I played golfed and flew to the White House with the PRESIDENT,” he wrote on X.
“Maybe I just respect the office, not a hard concept to understand,” he added. “Just golfed with Obama not too long ago…and look forward to finishing my round with Trump! Now ya get out my mentions with all this politics and have amazing day.”
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