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It is wild to think that we have been talking about Philadelphia Eagles White House visits for 7 long years but here we are. The latest chapter of this story came in late February when ‘unnamed sources’ claimed the Philadelphia Eagles would turn down a White House invitation after winning Super Bowl LIX.
Shortly thereafter, it was reported that the Eagles hadn’t turned down a White House invitation because they hadn’t even received an invitation yet. That was a weird part of the news cycle given that it was initially reported the Eagles would turn it down, not that they already head.
Then on February 25th came a message from President Donald Trump about the Philadelphia Eagles, saying “I thought it was a great performance. They will absolutely be invited. They deserve to be down here, and we hope to see them.”
Are we all caught up?
Philadelphia Eagles ‘Enthusiastically Accept White House Invitation
The latest reports are that the Eagles are all-in on the White House invitation. An official from the White House spoke with the Philadelphia Inquirer saying “We sent the invite and they enthusiastically accepted. We are working with them to determine a date and logistics.”
With the White House visit pending, it certainly sets up an interesting storyline given how things went down in 2018 after the Eagles won their first Super Bowl and President Trump canceled on Philly due to players not standing for the national anthem.
A statement from President Trump in 2018 read:
“The Philadelphia Eagles are unable to come to the White House with their full team to be celebrated tomorrow. 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. The Eagles wanted to send a smaller delegation, but the 1,000 fans planning to attend the event deserve better. These fans are still invited to the White House to be part of a different type of ceremony — one that will honor our great country, pay tribute to the heroes who fight to protect it, and loudly and proudly play the National Anthem. I will be there at 3:00 p.m. with the United States Marine Band and the United States Army Chorus to celebrate America.”
At the time, Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie was planning to only send ~10 players to the White House. According to a report from NFL.com back then, Lurie’s reasoning was that he “did not want to put his players in a tough spot.” Ultimately, Lurie’s decision didn’t matter as President Trump canceled the Eagles’ invitation.
Things are different this time around. The world is a very different place. At this point, it seems as if the Philadelphia Eagles will move forward with the White House visit without any complications. But nothing’s certain until they’re there.