Jeffrey Lurie, owner of the Philadelphia Eagles, described President Trump’s presidency as “disastrous” last fall — shortly after Trump torched NFL players for protesting the national anthem.
Lurie’s comments came during a meeting with some NFL team owners, players, and executives at the NFL headquarters in October concerning a plan to financially assist organizations that were combating social injustice.
“Another fact I want to throw out there: Many of us have no interest in supporting President Trump,” Lurie said in the meeting, according to a recording retrieved by the New York Times. “Yes, there are some. There are some players who do, too.”
“But this is not where you brandish a group of people because they own assets in a sport we love, supporting what many of us perceive as, you know, one disastrous presidency,” he added.
According to the Times, Lurie used a vulgar term to describe “disastrous” and then followed up by saying, “Don’t quote me.”
NFL players started kneeling in 2016 when former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick took a knee during the national anthem to protest the treatment of minorities. Protests continued into the following football season after Trump said in September players who refused to stand for the anthem should be fired.
The Philadelphia Eagles, who won the 2018 Super Bowl, have not visited the White House yet after their victory in February. It is common for Super Bowl champions to be invited to the White House shortly after the win and typically make the visit in March or April.
However, the White House and the Eagles said a visit was in the works Monday.
“We have been in conversations with the Eagles about timing and are working with them to make it happen,” White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said. “We hope to have something finalized in the next couple of weeks.”
“We have been in contact with White House representatives and are currently discussing the logistics of an upcoming visit to Washington,” an Eagles spokesperson said. “We are honored to receive this invitation and view this not only as an opportunity to be recognized for our on-field accomplishments, but also as an opportunity to engage in productive dialogue with the leaders of our country.”
