A handful of Philadelphia Eagles players have indicated they won’t go to the traditional White House reception after clinching their team’s first Super Bowl victory in the franchise’s history Sunday.
“Nah, I personally do not anticipate attending,” Eagles safety Malcolm Jenkins told CNN Monday, after the Eagles prevailed over defending champions, the New England Patriots, 41-33 at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minn.
It is also expected that wide receiver Torrey Smith will not visit the White House, given the demonstrations he and Jenkins made during the national anthem this season to raise awareness about racial injustice.
Both players raised their fists while “The Star-Spangled Banner” played as part of the league-wide protests started by former San Francisco 49er Colin Kaepernick.
Eagles defensive end Chris Long told “Pardon My Take Podcast” last Sunday he too would skip the event.
“No, I’m not going to the White House. Are you kidding me?” said Long, who was one of the first few white NFL players to publicly support Kaepernick.
He and Eagles running back LeGarrette Blount skipped the same reception in 2017 when they won Super Bowl 51 against the Atlanta Falcons with their former team, the Patriots.
Blount is anticipated to miss this year’s reception as well, saying last February that he didn’t “feel welcome in that house.”
Trump has repeatedly criticized NFL players who have kneeled during the anthem to protest, issuing a pre-Super Bowl statement Sunday in which he prodded viewers of the game to stand.
