Super Bowl Winners Philadelphia Eagles Have Reportedly Not Declined White House Invitation
By Favour Adegoke on February 24, 2025 at 4:15 PM EST
Super Bowl winners, the Philadelphia Eagles, have reportedly not turned down an invitation from Donald Trump's administration to visit the White House.
It comes after a report claimed that the team planned to decline the invitation after snubbing a similar request in the billionaire politician's previous tenure.
Donald Trump had in the past slammed the Philadelphia Eagles when some players decided to protest during the national anthem.
No Official Invitation Has Been Sent To The Philadelphia Eagles, Source Says
The Philadelphia Eagles have reportedly not rejected an invitation to celebrate their recent Super Bowl win at the White House.
According to a White House source, an earlier report that claimed the team said a "massive no" to a potential request is false.
The source told Outkicker founder Clay Travis that the White House had yet to send an official invite to the Philadelphia Eagles. However, they did not clarify if they intended to do so anytime soon.
Travis wrote 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."
As such, it remains to be seen if an invitation will be sent out and if the Philadelphia Eagles will accept or reject it.
The Traditional White House Visit Has Sparked Intense Debate Online
Since it was alleged that the Super Bowl champs turned down the traditional White House visit, football fans have taken to social media to share their thoughts on the issue.
Many fans slammed the Eagles, claiming they were making sports political.
One X user wrote, "Why do these athletes have to make things political anymore? You might not like the guy, but show some respect and be the example to the young kids looking up to you."
Another said, "I wish I could return all the Super Bowl gear I bought my boys. We watched and cheered and cried, and now I feel sick to my stomach. How can I encourage my boys to support such divisive and unpatriotic actions? I'm sad."
Amid the criticisms, others supported the Eagle's alleged decision to skip the visit.
"When the NFL had to remove 'End Racism' from the field in order to appease Trump, and then Trump still left early to avoid the halftime show, I'm not quite sure why anyone would have expected the Eagles to attend," a fan wrote. "Sometimes you have to give respect before you can get it."
Another user said, "Cry me a freaking river. Not everyone has to bow before King Trump and acquiesce to his every whim."
The Philadelphia Eagles Previously Turned Down A White House Invite
During Trump's previous administration, the Philadelphia Eagles refused to send a full team to honor a White House invitation after winning the Super Bowl administration.
The decision was brought on by the team's then feud with Trump when he criticized players who protested during the national anthem.
Trump made the criticism during a rally in 2018, saying such players were "hurting the game" with their protest and called for them to be fired by the NFL owners.
At the time, one of the Philadelphia Eagles players, Malcom Jenkins, was one of those who participated in the protests.
The White House Released A Statement In The Past Over The Team's Visit
In response to the Philadelphia Eagles' decision at the time to send a smaller team, the White House canceled the invitation and released a statement explaining why.
"The Philadelphia Eagles are unable to come to the White House with their full team to be celebrated," read a statement from Trump.
"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."
In the statement, Trump also stated that hundreds of fans had planned to attend the event and that they "deserve better" than the smaller delegation the Philadelphia Eagles had offered.
Trump's Former Administration Also Rescinded Invite To Golden State Warriors
In 2018, Trump's then administration also took back their invite to the Golden State Warriors.
At the time, the team was the NBA champion, but when the invitation was offered, their top player, Stephen Curry, said he was not interested in honoring the invite.
Upon Curry's remark making headlines, Trump withdrew the invite without waiting for the Golden State Warriors to make a decision.
"Going to the White House is considered a great honor for a championship team," Trump remarked in a post at the time. "Stephen Curry is hesitating, therefore invitation is withdrawn!"
