Absence in 2018 Due to Previous Disputes
US President Donald Trump invited the Philadelphia Eagles, who won the NFL Super Bowl, to the White House. However, it was reported that several players, including Super Bowl MVP Jalen Hurts, did not attend.
According to AP News on April 29 (Korea Standard Time), President Trump praised Hurts even though he declined the White House invitation, saying, "He is a great person and an outstanding player. He delivered a brilliant performance, leading the team to a 14-3 regular season record and a Super Bowl victory."
US President Donald Trump invited the NFL Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles. Photo by AP Yonhap News
President Trump also invited the Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles to the White House in 2018, during his first term, following tradition. However, the majority of the team refused to attend.
At that time, after a series of incidents in the United States where police officers shot unarmed Black individuals, NFL players protested racial discrimination by kneeling during the national anthem. President Trump criticized this, claiming it was unpatriotic. As a result, most of the team announced they would not accept the White House invitation. In response, President Trump abruptly canceled the invitation to the Philadelphia Eagles the day before the event.
Seven years later, President Trump once again invited the Philadelphia Eagles, and this time, with at least some of the team attending, the event proceeded as planned.
Earlier, in February, President Trump attended the Super Bowl in person to watch Philadelphia defeat the Kansas City Chiefs. It was the first time a sitting US president had attended the Super Bowl in person. President Trump watched the game with his grandson Theodore and his daughter Ivanka. When he stood and saluted during the national anthem, the crowd erupted in loud cheers as his image appeared on the screen.
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