Some Philadelphia Eagles players are boycotting White House visit over Trump
After the Philadelphia Eagles held of the New England Patriots to win their first ever Super Bowl, President Trump congratulated the team on twitter, despite Several Eagles Players already planning to skip the White House visit.
While it is customary for the winning team to visit the White House following the game, according to NJ.com, safety Malcolm Jenkins, wide receiver Torrey Smith and defensive end Chris Long have all said they will not be going.
Beginning in October of 2017, Trump has clashed with the NFL for telling league owners to suspend or fire players who kneel during the National Anthem.
Long, who also declined the visit after winning the Super Bowl last year with Patriots, said in a podcast earlier this week, quote, “No, I’m not going to the White House...Are you kidding me?” “[When] my son grows up, and I believe the legacy of our president is going to be what it is, I don’t want him to say, ‘Hey Dad, why’d you go [to the White House] when you knew the right thing was to not go?’” Long said, according to the Washington Post.
This isn’t the first time sports stars have clashed with the President over a White House visit, with Trump withdrawing the invitation to the NBA champion Golden State Warriors last year after two-time MVP Steph Curry said he didn’t want to go.