The Eagles are considering going to Washington D.C.
Despite the fact it’s been over two months since the Philadelphia Eagles won Super Bowl LII, all has been quiet on the front of a potential White House visit. That is, until now.
The New York Times reports the Eagles are in discussions with the White House about a potential trip to Washington D.C.
“We have been in contact with White House representatives and are currently discussing the logistics of an upcoming visit to Washington,” a spokesman for the Eagles said on Monday, acknowledging publicly for the first time that the team had been invited. “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.”
And from the White House’s side:
“We have been in conversations with the Eagles about timing and are working with them to make it happen,” said Sarah Huckabee Sanders, the White House press secretary. “We hope to have something finalized in the next couple of weeks.”
From the sound of it, a visit has not been finalized.
#Eagles have not committed to a White House visit, but they are discussing it. Given Malcolm Jenkins' role in calling attention to social issues, this is an important discussion. The statement alludes to using the time to engage the White House, rather than skipping it.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) April 23, 2018
For most sports teams, a post-championship trip to the White House is pretty customary. The Eagles aren’t your average team, however, as the NYT article outlines.
In addition to a number of Eagles players saying they’d decline to go to the White House, team owner Jeffrey Lurie has made it known he’s no fan of Donald Trump. Records show Lurie donated to Hillary Clinton’s campaign during the 2016 election. The NTY also reports Lurie even privately referred to Trump’s reign as “one [f***ing] disastrous presidency” during NFL owners meetings last October.
“Another fact I want to throw out there: Many of us have no interest in supporting President Trump,” Mr. Lurie said, according to a recording of the meeting obtained 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 said, using a vulgarity to emphasize “disastrous,” then adding: “Don’t quote me.”
It’ll be interesting to see what becomes of all of this.
This post first appeared on Bleeding Green Nation, A Philadelphia Eagles Commu, please read the originial post: here
